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Downtown Tampa Trolley Fares Cut In Half
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Published: May 14, 2008
TAMPA - The cost to hop a downtown trolley soon will drop by half.
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit is cutting fares in an effort to get more people to take the yellow, rubber-wheeled vehicles.
The current fare is 50 cents, but HART board members voted Tuesday to trim fares to 25 cents. The change takes effect June 9.
HART expects a 20 percent boost in ridership over the next year, though the move will cause about a $3,500 loss in yearly fare collections.
Marketing Director Jill Cappadoro said the aim of the shuttles is to assist downtown residents, visitors and businesses. "It's such a low fare, we don't anticipate a significant impact on revenues."
The buses operate twice daily in the morning and afternoon, shuttling workers to parking lots. Last month, they gave 2,600 rides.
On Friday and Saturday nights, trolleys carry people from hotels and parking to the city's arts district, the Channel District and stops on the city's streetcar system. Those evening routes posted about 125 rides last month, Cappadoro said.
A 25-cent fare would make it "much more convenient to spontaneously ride the trolley," she said. Other cities, including Portland, Ore., offer free or reduced-fare districts as a way to entice people to park their cars and take public transit.
Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at rshopes@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7633.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( MamaMagic ) on May 14, 2008 at 3 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
We should never have gotten rid of the street cars.
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Posted by ( dlf ) on May 14, 2008 at 3:10 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Using public transportation in a great idea with the price of gas. And I am sure that has been helping. But the TROLLY - not enough dumb tourists to use it. And why would anyone else?
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Posted by ( Ryan_Levi_Lesswick ) on May 14, 2008 at 8:40 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
They couldn't pay me to ride that thing. It waste so much electricity that driving is better for our environment.
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Posted by ( Quagmire ) on May 14, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
This is great news. Only 25ยข to ride the great white elephant.
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Posted by ( DarthRandall ) on May 14, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Quagmire - HA!
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Posted by ( BlueJar ) on May 14, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I was at the courthouse one day(nunya bidness as to why) and when I was outside during a recess, I watch the thing go back and forth,back and forth, with not on soul on it. Later I was there again and the same thing happened. People in the area were commenting on what a waste of money it was and by that time I was ready to agree.I had never seen the trolley before that and wondered what the fuss was about. Now I get it. Does anyone really use it?
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Posted by ( ad ) on May 14, 2008 at 3:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The Trolley is a joke and only the citizens of Tampa and the County know it. The City COuncil and the COunty Commission love the toy.
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