Hilton Head’s trolley may eliminate its fare to reduce traffic, get people to work
Riding the trolley on Hilton Head Island may be easier and cheaper this summer, thanks to a set of changes to the town’s trolley service that won preliminary approval Thursday.
The town has proposed three changes: making the trolley free, adding a new route to the Folly Field area, and installing monitors on the trolley for community messaging and advertising. The changes, which could cost the town upwards of $80,000, will go to the full town council later this month.
Palmetto Breeze, the transportation company that runs the trolley, started the service on Hilton Head in summer 2018.
After a disappointing first season, the company adjusted its hours and added new stops to increase ridership. Now, town leaders and Palmetto Breeze executive director Mary Lou Franzoni have prioritized making the trolley a more memorable experience.
Town council member Tom Lennox, who represents the island’s south end, has often said he wants the trolley that runs from Shelter Cove to the Coligny Beach area to become as well known as the Sea Pines trolley.
Eliminating the trolley fare “is absolutely a home run,” Lennox said, and would help reduce traffic on U.S. 278.
Dropping the $1 fare will cost the town about $15,000, according to Palmetto Breeze. There was no discussion Thursday about how the town will pay for that. The trolley is currently funded by a combination of local, state and federal grants, its website says.
The committee said new monitors could show community messages and tasteful advertising for local businesses to the people who ride the trolleys. Monitors will cost about $1,000 per trolley to install, Franzoni said.
“I like monitors on the trolleys,” Ward 4 representative Tamara Becker said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to inform our visitors and guests about what is important to us.”
She said the monitors could include information about protecting nesting sea turtles and bicycle safety laws.
At first, members of the public planning committee were hesitant about adding a third north route that would service the Folly Field and Westin area. A third trolley to cover the new route would cost $63,450 per season, Franzoni said.
Becker said she’s “not a fan of the extended route because of the cost. The cost seems exorbitant to me for a service we have no data on.”
That was the consensus until members of the Hilton Head Beach & Tennis Resort showed resounding support for the third route.
“On behalf of the resort, we wanted to let the town know we are in favor of the trolley and extension of its services,” Kate Clewell, executive director of the property off Folly Field Road, said as she handed folders of emails from owners at the resort supporting the route.
Over a dozen owners from the resort raised their hands in support of the route.
Council members changed course after seeing the immense support for the route, sending it to the full council. The public planning committee includes more than half the council, so decisions from the committee are usually indicative of the final result from the seven-person council.
The full council will hear the changes and vote later this month.
Trolley service on Hilton Head Island starts April 1.
Franzoni said The Breeze is still in talks with the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing PGA Tour event to coordinate trolley routes and help event goers attend the tournament in Sea Pines, which runs April 13-19.
