During its first season, the Yachats trolley hauled 3,450 tourists and locals on a route that started at Beachside State Park in the north to Cape Perpetua in the south. (Quinton Smith/Lincoln Chronicle)By GARRET JAROS/Lincoln Chronicle
YACHATS – The inaugural season of the Yachats trolley has come to a close and city officials are hailing it as a success.
The jolly green trolley took to the road Thursdays through Sundays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, driving in a loop that included 16 stops at campgrounds and hotels north of the city and through Yachats to the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center. A naturalist rode along on Saturdays to educate the public about the area.
Ridership tapped out at 3,450 over the course of the season and included tourists and locals alike, said city manager Bobbi Price. The overall operating cost, including drivers contracted through First Student, is paid for through the city’s visitor amenities fund and came in at $50,000.
Price“There were people who were using it to get to work, including interns at Cape Perpetua,” city manager Bobbi Price told the Lincoln Chronicle. “And I was on the trolley at one point and there was a student from the Angell Job Corps who told me the trolley had been life changing for the students there because they now had access to town, to shop for groceries, go to restaurants, go hiking and to the beach.”
The trolley gave Job Corps students more freedom of movement than the Lincoln County bus to explore and be more independent, she added. And they liked meeting the locals and learning from the naturalist about the Amanda Trail, Cape Perpetua and Yachats.
“And then it was really highly utilized by people going from their hotels into town,” Price said. “And up to Cape was a very popular use.”
The idea of bringing a tourist-style trolley to Yachats started three years ago and debuted this summer. Behind the wheel was the Yachats Area Chamber of Commerce which pitched it as an eco-friendly way of easing congestion and parking in town by shuttling people to and from motels and campgrounds to shops, restaurants, trailheads and the Cape.
The 14-seat, $236,000 hybrid vehicle is equipped with a bike rack, a wheelchair ramp and secure space for two wheelchairs. Prior to its first official high-season, it was used for special events including the New Years Day Peace Walk and Yachats Sip and Stroll. It was used at the recent Beach Bike & Blues Festival in Waldport and will be put in service for fall and winter events including the Mushroom, Celtic and Winter festivals.
The trolley service is free.
The 14-seat hybrid trolley has a wood-paneled interior, wheelchair hoist and bike rack. (Lincoln Chronicle photo)Will look at adjustments
The city used $100,000 grants from both Travel Oregon and the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, $29,000 from the Yachats chamber and $7,000 from transient lodging taxes to purchase the vehicle. Prior to jumping on board with a trolley, surveys by the Oregon Coast Visitors Association showing a need for “micro transportation” in tourist-destination coastal communities.
There will be a formal debrief session this week, bringing together First Student’s transit team, Cape Perpetua Collaborative volunteers, Yachats Visitor Center representatives, and partners from each destination stop, Price told the Yachats city council during its monthly meeting Wednesday.
They will review operations from the season to decide if the hours and days and stops are sufficient or need to be adjusted to better serve riders.
“One thing that we are hearing is that people would like to see the service year-round,” Price told the council. “So we’re looking at that, what that cost would be. I could tell the weekends that were rainy, the ridership was less.”
The city is still waiting on signs for the stops that it ordered more than a month before the start of the season. Also to be considered is adding some covered stops for rainy days, Price said, “especially if we look at expanding the service.”
“Another sweet story that I heard was from somebody riding who really enjoyed hearing the kids that were getting on talking with the driver who was also their school bus driver,” Price said. “He said it just really added to the charm of having that small town connection between the driver and the kids.”
- Garret Jaros covers the communities of Yachats, Waldport, south Lincoln County and natural resources issues for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at [email protected]
Well, hush my puppies, I thought the trolley was a terrible waste of money, but maybe I was wr- wr- wr– it’s hard for me to admit I might have been wr-
I’m happy that the Angell Crew has wings now!
As a south county resident of 20 years, I rode it at least four times. With visiting family, with a local friend I needed to catch up with, and I took a Sea Aire resident on it! It was a success and a joy every time. The drivers were great and knowledgeable about local nature and places. The route was great—double stop at city hall meant you could just ride half if you wanted to. Ding ding! I really liked that bell.