What goes round and round the town? Children in the Yachats Youth and Family Activities Program after-school class got the first official ride in the city of Yachats’ new tourist trolley around town and through Yachats State Park on Thursday before the official ribbon cutting just a bit later.
The $236,000 hybrid trolley was on display at city hall last week, then the focus of a welcoming party Thursday afternoon before heading to storage prior its working debut next spring to move local folks and visitors all around town.
The idea to bring a trolley to town to attract tourists while also meeting a city goal to ease parking and traffic congestion in an environmentally-friendly way was proposed in 2023 after city manager Bobbi Price saw a similar trolley in Pacific City. Funding to purchase the trolley came from $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 the city’s transient lodging taxes. The city will pay First Student an estimated $45,000 in annual operating costs for storage, maintenance, insurance and driver-associated expenses.
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