A new, free trolly service will begin operating between various points in downtown Ocala this week.
The Ocala Main Street Trolly will soft launch its new service on Friday, September 15.
According to Ocala Main Street Executive Director Jessica Fieldhouse, the new service will initially operate on Fridays and Saturdays, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
At its onset, the trolly route will encompass four different stops around downtown Ocala. The first stop is located next to the downtown parking garage, in front of the Cantina parking lot on SE Broadway Street.
From the parking garage, the shuttle will move westbound on Fort King Street until it reaches SW 1st Avenue, with its second stop in front of La Cuisine, at southeast corner of Fort King Street and SW 1st Avenue.
The shuttle will then go north one block to Broadway Street and will stop in front of The Brick at Marion Cultural Alliance, which is located at the northeast corner of Broadway Street and SW 1st Avenue.
Finally, the shuttle will proceed east on Broadway Street and make a rotation around the Ocala Downtown Square, stopping at the northeast corner of the service road in front of the gazebo.
The program was made possible by a donation of two 4-seat golf carts by Cart World. Fieldhouse says these golf carts will be replaced with two 6-seat golf carts “within a couple of months.”
According to Fieldhouse, the hours of operation for the new service and the coverage map may both be expanded based on usage.
“We encourage the community to help us spread the word and hop on while they’re downtown,” said Fieldhouse in an email to Ocala-News.com.
The service is free and open to all visitors of downtown Ocala.
“We really want our community to embrace this soft launch and help us prove concept that this service is needed and wanted by our residents and visitors,” says Fieldhouse. “We will continue to expand based on the usage of the service.”
Fieldhouse says the program is in need of volunteers, and is asking any interested parties to reach out to the organization. To volunteer for the new program, contact Ocala Main Street online or through their Facebook or Instagram pages.