Inauguration posing logistical nightmare

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Washington city officials say U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration will cause many logistical problems, including where to park 10,000 buses.

The thousands of chartered buses will pour into Washington for Obama's Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony, and the sheer size of the fleet -- which will be carrying as many as 500,000 people -- is posing a huge challenge for municipal officials, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Officials are estimating that 2 million to 4 million people will attend the inauguration and one of the questions is where to park the buses, the newspaper said. With widespread street closures in downtown Washington, they won't be able to drop off passengers at events, so officials have to find a central place for them to gather. But once that is determined, it will affect the city's Metro system when the bus passengers try to squeeze on to public transit.

Washington City Administrator Dan Tangherlini told the Post his call center staff has begun contacting hundreds of bus companies to ask about bookings and by the end of the week, he said he hopes a statistical sampling will come up with a firm number of expected buses.