**The Yachats trolley is expected to take one hour to make 16 stops in a loop running from Beachside State Park in the north to Cape Perpetua visitors center in the south.** (Yachats Chamber of Commerce)

By the Lincoln Chronicle staff

YACHATS – Although it has been used for a few special events, this weekend marks the first regular use of a $236,000 hybrid trolley-looking bus intended to move tourists and residents on a circular loop from Beachside State Park through and around Yachats to Cape Perpetua.

But its inaugural route is only for two days until school ends and more First Student contract drivers become available June 11.

The trolley service is free.

From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday – but not on Monday, Memorial Day – the bus will make one-hour circular trips starting at Beachside in the north, wind its way south through Yachats to Cape Perpetua and then head back north stopping at selected locations in both directions.

**The city of Yachats’ trolley begins its inaugural runs Saturday and Sunday between Beachside State Park and Cape Perpetua.**

The trolley is equipped with a wheelchair ramp and secure space for two wheelchairs.

“Whether you are heading into town for a meal, setting out on the trail, or simply taking in the view, the trolley helps you experience the coast at a slower pace,” the Yachats Chamber of Commerce said in announcing the start of scheduled trips.

On June 11, the trolley will start its summer schedule through the Labor Day weekend operating 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sundays.

The 14-seat trolley has been used sparingly for special events – the New Years Day Peace Walk and the more recent Yachats Sip and Stroll — since arriving in Yachats last November.

The idea to bring a trolley to town was to help tourists move around while trying to ease parking and traffic congestion. It also aligns with surveys by the Oregon Coast Visitors Association showing a need for “micro transportation” in tourist-destination coastal communities.

It is believed to be the only such vehicle operating on the Oregon coast.

The city used $100,000 grants from both Travel Oregon and the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, $29,000 from the Yachats Area Chamber of Commerce and $7,000 from transient lodging taxes to purchase the vehicle. The city will pay First Student an estimated $45,000 in annual operating costs for storage, maintenance, insurance and driver-associated expenses.