Ridin’ in style: Hilton Head trolley may add new routes to Folly Field, RBC Heritage
Hilton Head Island’s trolleys are coming back to the island this summer, and starting April 1 there may be a new route.
Mary Lou Franzoni, executive director of trolley operator Palmetto Breeze, told the island’s public planning committee Thursday that a new route running north of Shelter Cove Towne Centre could come this summer. She added that Palmetto Breeze is in talks with RBC Heritage to provide shuttle service from Shelter Cove to Harbour Town Golf Links April 17 through April 19.
The permanent route would start at Shelter Cove and head north up Folly Field Road with stops at Hilton Head Resort, Fiddler’s Cove, Islanders Beach Park, the Marriott Barony Beach Club and The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa.
The trolley will also run its traditional route south from Shelter Cove toward Sea Pines Circle and Coligny Beach Park. It will still cost $1 to ride the trolley, Franzoni said.
On the week of Heritage, Franzoni said she’s been working with the PGA Tour golf tournament to figure out a route that would take spectators from Shelter Cove through Sea Pines to the course on the second weekend of the event.
She said that would disperse traffic more evenly across the island, and “people coming out won’t be subjected to surge pricing in Uber.”
Although Franzoni presented the routes to the town, she said she’s not sure the routes to Folly Field or RBC Heritage will happen yet.
Palmetto Breeze, which operates with state and federal grants along with local matches, is considering expanding trolley routes in Bluffton.
If Bluffton gets a trolley route, Franzoni told council members that the grant Hilton Head relies on will have to be split between the two towns.
“Bluffton may come forward in the next year and start services there,” she said Thursday. “Until now they have not, so we’ve had all the grant funds available on Hilton Head.”
The new permanent route could be helpful to those who rent vacation homes or live near the Folly Field area, and some council members showed enthusiasm about the upcoming season.
“We should try as many different routes as we possibly can,” Ward 5 representative Tom Lennox said. “This is starting to become iconic to the island, much the same way the trolley system is to Sea Pines.”
How did things go last year?
Franzoni offered these updates to the town public planning committee in October on the service’s second summer on the road:
Palmetto Breeze trolley ran from April 1 to Oct. 15 and offered one route with 12 stops.
There were 18,029 total riders in 2019, for an average of 93 riders per day. That represents a 45% increase from summer 2018.
The most popular days to ride the trolley were Saturday and Sunday.
The most popular months to ride the trolley were June and July. On July 4, the trolley gave 540 rides.
She said trolley drivers kept track of the number of rides rather than the number of riders because people can get on and off the trolley at several points along the route.
What’s next?
Franzoni will be back before the public planning committee next month with finalized plans for the trolley route and the 2020 season.
