Newport Beach’s Trolley Reaches End of the Line

Despite pleas from supporters to keep the Newport Trolley running, the Newport Beach City Council on Monday night voted to end its contract with the company that operates the trolley, four months before the agreement was scheduled to expire.

In a 6-0 vote, the council decided to halt the Newport Trolley, operated by Arizona-based American Trolley Lines, on Saturday. American Trolley Lines agreed earlier to let the city out of its contract, which was to expire May 31.

“Everybody loves the trolley system. But it comes down to dollars in this case, and it’s getting too expensive for the city to cover,” Assistant City Manager Kenneth J. Delino said before the council meeting.

The council also agreed to a complete review of trolley operations to determine whether the system can be resumed more economically. The review will be conducted by the Off-Street Parking Committee, consisting of two council members and city staff, and the Newport Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau.

Said Councilman Philip Maurer: “I’m happy to see us try something else. The council definitely is in favor of trolleys, but it’s just the problem of finding the right one.”

The monthly cost of running the system’s three trolleys along Coast Highway, on the Balboa Peninsula and at Newport Center has been $35,000, Delino said, though passenger fares offset part of that.

Before the vote, several trolley supporters presented the council with 2,500 signatures asking it to give the trolley system more time so that it can build up its budget from advertisers.

The Newport Trolley System has been unsuccessful in becoming self-sufficient and has not been able to get companies to advertise inside its three bus-like vehicles, Dick Bobertz of American Trolley Lines said before the vote.

The trolley line was given a $50,000 grant from the Irvine Co. and a $130,000 subsidy from the city when it began operating in June, 1986. But the money has practically run out and the city cannot afford to keep the trolley in operation, Delino said.

“The money was given as seed money to get the trolleys going, but it has been eaten up faster than expected,” Delino said.

The Off-Street Parking Committee recommended ending service at the end of this month. It decided at its Jan. 13 meeting that the city cannot afford to subsidize the trolleys because the city does not get federal funds for public transportation.