VENTURA : City OKs Trolley; Service Starts Friday
A new trolley will clang down the streets of Ventura come Friday, shuttling tourists--and residents, if they choose to hop aboard--between the harbor, the pier and downtown.
The City Council on Monday unanimously approved a franchise contract for Madison & Associates to operate a gasoline-fueled trolley through March 1. The same company operates trolleys in Ojai and Santa Barbara.
The fare, which will be good all day, will be $1 for adults, 50 cents for senior citizens, and free for children under 5 years of age, residents over 75 and guests of the hotels whose advertisements will be plastered on the sides of the trolley car.
The trolley service will not cost the city anything, at least initially. The operator plans to recoup most of its expenses from the advertising contracts, city officials said.
When the contract expires in March, the city plans to replace the privately owned trolley with one it will purchase with the help of a $76,996 federal grant.
The council would then ask for bids for the trolley franchise. The operator would then run the business using the city’s trolley car.
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