Open-air trolleys coming to Pensacola Beach
- June 30, 2015
- / Staff Reports
- / video
Pensacola Beach is getting new wheels.
Three new open-air trolleys will make their debut ahead of July 4 weekend on Santa Rosa Island. At 9 a.m. July 2, the trolley will be rolled out in a grand opening event at Gulfside Pavilion.
The aim to alleviate traffic congestion and encourage people to use the trolley rather than cars to get around on the island.
The Portofino Island Improvement Fund will pay $652,855 for the clean diesel fueled trolleys, which will replace the closed in buses now used, as proposed by Robert Rinke, owner of Levin Rinke Resort Realty.
Escambia County will own the trolleys, Escambia County Area Transit will operate them. They will operate under the tag line “Ride Free, Ride Green.”
Rinke proposed an additional $25,000 from the Portofino Island Improvement Fund to pay for marketing the trolleys, as well a trolley map.
The SRIA will create a Trolley Committee that will work to keep the trolleys schedule on time, and to meet the demands of ridership. Once a planned ferry system is in place, the trolley schedule will be adjusted to accommodate that.
The trolleys will have flat screen monitors to showcase environmentally related recreation in the area, rain curtains and satellite radio. The fuel used for the trolleys has an ultra-low sulfur diesel to reduce soot emissions.
Recent Posts
-
CivicCon launches with a look at good growth in cities
-
Building stronger brains one baby, one parent at a time
-
SCI debuts commercial on Early Learning City
-
Entrecon: World class speakers and an opportunity to sharpen skills
-
PYP Quality of Life survey 2017
-
EntreCon Pensacola 2016: A look back
-
Leadership tip: getting better employee takeaways
-
Leadership tip: be interested instead of interesting
-
Leadership tip: delivering difficult messages
-
Brain Bags boost Arc, Early Childhood Court programs