Need a ride? Hilton Head’s free trolley returns before RBC Heritage with additional route
The Palmetto Breeze trolleys will be rolling onto Hilton Head Island April 10 for their fourth season of service — and this time, there’s a new route.
The new “Mid-Island Route,” the transportation authority announced Wednesday, will connect with the existing “South Island Route” at Shelter Cove Towne Centre. From there, the Mid-Island Route will head north on Shelter Cove Lane, turn left onto U.S. 278, take a right onto Folly Field Road, reverse at the Westin Hotel and then return to the Towne Centre along the same route. Stops will include the Hilton Head Resort, Barony Beach Club and Fiddler’s Cove, among others.
The South Island Route will have the same stops, turns and hours as last year, using two trolleys each day. The Mid-Island Route will use one trolley. The trolleys will run from 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 1 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, reaching each stop about every 30 minutes.
Both trolleys will remain free for the season, which is expected to last until Labor Day, Palmetto Breeze said.
The announcement comes six months after Palmetto Breeze had to cancel the remainder of its 2020 season due to COVID-19-related staffing shortages. In mid-August, trolley drivers were reassigned to cover other routes so those drivers could quarantine. After two weeks, the trolley restarted for three days before shutting down for the rest of the season.
“We are all expecting another very busy tourist season this year, so having the trolleys as an alternative to using a private vehicle will certainly reduce congestion and enhance everyone’s experience,” said Mary Lou Franzoni, executive director of Palmetto Breeze.
Although visitors commonly use the trolley to bounce among shopping centers, resorts and the beach,the trolley is also vital to helping the island’s workforce commute during the busy tourism season.
When the trolley was suspended last summer due to staffing shortages, Islander Deborah Johnson, who worked at the Shelter Cove Kroger and did not have a car, had to take a taxi to work.
“It’s been a real hardship not having it,” she said then.
