Sarasota Starting Free Trolley to Connect City’s Downtown to Lido Beach and St. Armand's Circle
A FDOT grant will help the City of Sarasota to cover the costs of the 3-year pilot program
It will begin this summer, both residents and visitors will be able to hop on a free open-air trolley that will run from downtown Sarasota to the Lido Beach Pavilion.
The new trolley service will most likely begin in August of this year and it will run every 20 to 25 minutes from East Main Street to Lido Beach.
The plan, as of now, has three trolleys that are expected to run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.
The goal of this new pilot program, is to help connect people to downtown and the beaches.
This three-year pilot project is being funded in part through a $1.5 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. Sarasota would contract the service to a private vendor. It may cost city taxpayers between $210,000 and $515,000. It is possible more funding could be found elsewhere.
In Manatee County, their Barrier island trolleys are very popular. In Sarasota County, Sarasota County Area Transit’s Siesta Key Breeze trolley is one of the most popular routes in the county.