Are Old Town’s Trolleys Set to Trundle Off the Scene?
By Susan Motander
Published: Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Recently there have been reports that the City of Monrovia is considering retiring the trolleys which run a circuit in the Old Town area. According to Craig Jimeneza, Senior Planner with the city, the staff has just begun work on a report on the trolleys.
“We anticipate taking to the city council in the spring,” Jimenez said. The council will make the ultimate decision.
The trolleys, which have a vintage appearance, are actually hybrids with propane engines which charge the batteries on which they run.
They currently run a loop up Myrtle Avenue, back down, out Huntington Drive to loop around Albertson’s and back. This is one of the most reasonable deals in town: free.
The trolleys were purchased in 2002 and were said at the time to have a expected life of six to eight years according the planner.
“We are reaching the end of that time period, Jimenez said. He noted out that the city does not maintain or operate the trolleys, but contracts with Southland Transit to do so and that the city is in the last year of a three year contract. Currently the cost is $150,000 per year, but the transit company’s reports to the city indicate the cost of repairing the trolleys has risen steadily over the years.
The staff study will consider the cost of retrofitting or replacing the trolley or of switching to the use of busses such as those Southland Transit uses in running the city’s Dial-a-Ride program.
The original cost of the trolleys was approximately $250,000 each. A Federal Transit Administration grant for $475,00 paid for the most of that cost, but the city had to spend an additional $100,000 to get the program started according the Jimenez. These funds were generated from sales taxes. Because of the funding sources, Jimenez said that the trolleys could not be rented out to other entities which might have generated some income from their use.
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