Ariel Fernandez
Founder & Editor
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For many years, Commissioner and then Vice Mayor Vince Lago sought to expand the Coral Gables Trolley service to include weekends. Funding and support were hard to come by, but he continued to champion the idea.
On Saturday, October 23rd, Saturday Trolley service became a reality. 543 riders used the service on the first day. That number was eclipsed by the ridership on October 30th, 960. Then again this past Saturday, November 6th, with 998.
“I’ve been working on extending the city trolley service to include weekends for many years. I am thrilled to see it become a reality. The extension of this service will not only be another amenity the city offers, but will help drive business to our downtown. As the city provides multiple opportunities to reduce vehicular traffic with ride sharing options like freebee, this will play a role in reducing the number of cars on our streets and compliment our upcoming mobility hub,” said Lago.
“The trolley service on Saturday’s is a great success,” said Kevin Kinney, Director of Parking who also manages trolley operations. “When we started we had 543 customers the first week and this past weekend we reached 998. And we are sure that as people realize that this service is available more will take advantage — it’s not only free but a great way to get around town. I know that businesses in the area are excited and when combined with freebee service and the two new parking lots that were recently refurbished, there are lots of options for people coming to our central business district.”
The City of Coral Gables website explains that the Trolleys run on two routes:
“North/South Ponce de Leon Boulevard Route runs from the Douglas Metrorail Station to Flagler Street along Ponce de Leon Boulevard. The service runs every 15 minutes Monday thru Saturday from 6:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. First Friday of the month (Gallery Night) from 6:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Grand Avenue Loop Route runs from the Douglas Metrorail Station heading Southbound on Douglas Road, Westbound on Grand Avenue, North on LeJeune Road, East on Granello Avenue and back to Douglas Metrorail Station. Passengers can transfer to the North/South Ponce route to Downtown Coral Gables at the Metrorail Station. The service runs every 15 minutes Monday thru Saturday from 6:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.”
You can follow the trolley map route in real-time by clicking here.
