The City of Gainesville recently revealed a new form of transportation that will be coming to town: a trolley system.
For now, the white and sky-blue trolleys will only be used for special events, but come springtime, they will operate for regular lunch routes, according to Phillippa Lewis Moss, director of the Community Service Center in Gainesville.
“Initially, we’re looking at just making the trolleys free,” Moss said. “The idea is to try to get as many people off the road as possible and to encourage them to visit the downtown lunch eateries, as well as those along Green Street and Jesse Jewell [Parkway].”
The specific route has not yet been decided, but Moss said it will be a brand-new route that she is currently referring to as the “downtown trolley route.” She anticipates they will run throughout the spring, summer and early fall, and service may even extend to include a dinner route.
Moss said they received the trolleys about a month ago and used the time to apply decals to the exterior and decorate them for Christmas. At their debut Sunday evening during the city’s Christmas parade, the reception was positive.
“It was huge hit,” Moss said. “People were really excited to see the trolleys as well as all the other city vehicles."
The interior features rows of wooden benches that seat 22 passengers and brass poles with leather handles for an additional 10 standing passengers.
“We thought Gainesville-Hall County was a perfect place to have trolleys,” Moss said. “We think they’re fun and exciting.”
