PLACENTIA : Second Trolley Might Be Added

It’s free, looks and sounds like a cable car and has drawn rave reviews since it appeared in Placentia two months ago.

The city’s new red-and-green trolley offers free rides on a 17-mile circuit through town with 31 stops, including most major Placentia shopping centers, the library, civic center, community buildings and schools and parks.

The trolley made its debut during the annual Heritage Days Festival last October, and city officials say the response has been so great that a second trolley is being considered.

“It’s doing much better than expected, “ Mayor Norman Z. Eckenrode said. He said an average of 40 people per day use the vehicle.

“Seniors are elated,” said Geoffrey Cabbett, Placentia’s maintenance services supervisor. “The trolley stops at mobile home parks where some seniors are shut in, so they’re delighted to have transportation all over at no cost.

“Most people ride not to go somewhere, but to tour the city or for a novelty. But then they realize that they can leave the car at home and go to the store on the trolley, so they start using it.”

The only complaint has been absence of a timetable. The trolley takes a little over an hour to complete its circuit, with no set time scheduled for arrivals and departures beyond the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. start and finish times.

“Some people expect more out of it than it is,” Cabbett said. “Everyone has been very supportive, and I think people realize a little inconvenience is worth the price. However, as successful as this is, we’ll probably need another trolley in the future to provide for additional ridership and a closer network of time.”

“We definitely need to have two trolleys,” driver Andres Fenner said. “The main drawback is that people going one way have to ride clear around the city to get back home.”

Fenner, who has driven dial-a-ride vehicles and other community transport services, said that most trolley riders are not regular mass-transit users.

“Once they see how easy it is, they may become transit users,” he said. “Or they may use the trolley to get to one place and then take the bus or dial-a ride home after hours.”

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On one recent circuit, as the trolley neared the library and civic center, it filled up quickly with both children and adults. A family of seven arrived, headed for Tri-City Park with fresh popcorn to feed the ducks.

“I didn’t plan on taking the trolley,” explained another rider, Judy Bush. “But when my son ran over and climbed aboard, I figured, ‘OK.’

“It’s nice to know that I can get a ride home. I don’t even have my wallet,” added Bush, with her 7-month-old daughter, Jacqueline, on her lap and son Paul, 2, by her side.

“I’m still figuring out where the trolley fits in,” Fenner said. “It’s not really mass transit, and it’s more than just a novelty, but it definitely fills a need.”