GAINESVILLE, Ga. (July 18, 2022) – To better serve riders of the popular Gainesville Trolley, the City of Gainesville – specifically Hall Area Transit (HAT) – has plans to unveil a mobile app enabling users to pinpoint the trolleys’ locations in real time.
The City hopes the Gainesville, GA Trolley app will be ready to launch by the end of July and available to the public for free download via the App Store for Apple or Google Play for Android. The City also hopes this technology will further persuade residents and visitors to experience the trolley for themselves, and help current “frequent fliers” better plan their trips around town.
“Users interested in riding the Downtown-Dixon and/or Downtown-Glenwood trolleys, now available from 6-10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, can use the Gainesville, GA Trolley app to track either trolley to best plan their ride(s),” said Gainesville-Hall County Community Service Center Director Phillippa Lewis Moss, who oversees HAT.
Moss said the expanded availability of the neighborhood services to Thursdays is due to increased demand and ridership witnessed since the services’ launch in early June.
“Since we launched June 6, the neighborhood trolleys have welcomed aboard over 1,000 riders,” she said.
Unfortunately, due to less-than-ideal ridership, HAT will discontinue the Downtown Summer Trolley (lunchtime trolley) effective Friday, July 22. Until then, those interested may catch the Downtown Summer Trolley from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through Friday.
“The ridership is stagnant and not worth the expense,” she said, with hopes to redirect time and resources to further improve the neighborhood trolley experience.
The Downtown-Dixon trolley starts at the Hunt Tower parking lot (Spring Street), continuing along Washington and Bradford streets, Dixon Drive and Piedmont Avenue, back to Dixon Drive and Bradford Street prior to stopping at Rock Creek Veterans Park (Bradford Street) and returning to the Hunt Tower lot. The Downtown-Glenwood trolley starts at Solis Gainesville (Bradford Street), continuing past the Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse & Tavern and Hunt Tower lots, continuing along Spring Street, and Memorial and Park Hill drives, to Glenwood and Chattahoochee drives, then Candler Fields (Prior Street) prior to stopping along College Avenue and returning to Solis Gainesville. Find a complete list of trolley stops along the Downtown-Dixon and Downtown-Glenwood trolley routes here or review maps pinpointing pick-up/drop-off locations.
Trolleys are estimated to complete a full lap every 30-45 minutes and will run for the duration of the service time, excluding City-observed holidays.
Servicing an estimated 500 households, the neighborhood trolleys are available to anyone and everyone at no cost. Moss said City officials expect the annual service to be offered exclusively during the summer months, then again when temperatures cool down.
“The trolleys will run from June to August and then again in December for the holiday,” she said.
The trolleys, which are heated and cooled, can comfortably accommodate up to 24 passengers. Handicapped passengers, including those who use wheelchairs, are also encouraged to ride as trolleys are equipped with wheelchair lifts.
Still unsure about routes? Be on the lookout for yard signs (attached below) marking stops on the two neighborhood trolley routes. Light blue signs stating “TROLLEY STOP HERE” mark stops on the Downtown-Dixon and Downtown-Glenwood trolley routes. Dark blue signs stating "TROLLEY STOP DOWNTOWN" will mark stops on the lunchtime trolley route until July 22.
For questions or concerns, contact HAT at 770-503-3333, ext. 2.
