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It's a streetcar named retired
People never really caught on to riding the trolley around downtown in the past year, so the city will use it only for special events.
By LORRI HELFAND
Published May 2, 2006
LARGO - You won't see the city trolley looping around downtown anymore.
Officials had hoped free weekend trolley rides would ease parking shortages in popular areas and draw people to explore other parts of downtown.
But the trolley service, which began in April 2005, never caught on. Its last ride was on April 23.
During the year it lasted, the trolley's ridership averaged just 15 people per day, about two per hour. On Saturdays and Sundays the blue and white trolley rolled from Largo Central Park, down Bay Drive, Clearwater-Largo Road and Ponce de Leon Boulevard back to the park.
It made nine stops, but few people hopped on.
In the beginning, some boarded by mistake, thinking they were on a regular crosstown bus.
Later, many viewed it only as a novelty.
"Some people used the trolley just as a recreational amenity. They rode the circuit and got off," said Assistant City Manager Henry Schubert.
City Commissioner Gay Gentry said the downtown area may not have the activity or the atmosphere to sustain the trolley. She hopes new landscaping planned for Clearwater-Largo Road in coming months will give the area an economic boost. "Maybe when we do the streetscaping, that will be the little shot in the arm for (downtown) to get going," she said.
Another local trolley service has also been struggling. In Clearwater Beach, a service provided by Jolley Trolley blamed its financial problems on record high gas prices and lagging ridership.
Largo's trolley cost about $18,000 annually, primarily for drivers' salaries, maintenance and fuel. The expenses were covered by sponsor BayStar Hotel Group, which built downtown's Hampton Inn.
The city leases the trolley from the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority at a cost of $1 a year and plans to continue the lease deal, using the trolley for special events and programs.
[Last modified May 2, 2006, 01:57:13]
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