Downtown Santa Barbara Trolley Is Back

A downtown trolley is running again in Santa Barbara, rolling every half hour or so from the Hotel Californian near the waterfront and up to Anapamu Street, where the county courthouse, Museum of Art, shops, a bookstore, and restaurants can be found. A single trolley makes the rounds — stopping at four spots and costing $1 to ride — but it operates only Friday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., now through September.

The public dialogue about State Street’s Promenade has occasionally included bringing back the Metropolitan Transit District’s electric trolleys to the city’s main thoroughfare. But for this summer project, the Chamber of Commerce has chartered a gas-powered one from Santa Barbara Trolley, which runs up State Street only as far as Gutierrez Street. From there it circles the promenade along Chapala, Anacapa, and Garden streets.

The trolley idea had been gestating since a meeting in June during which downtown businesses discussed the future of State Street, said Mary Lynn Harms-Romo of the Chamber. With summer holidaymakers arriving, they hoped for a shuttle service between the waterfront, Funk Zone, hotels, and downtown. “The Chamber, recognizing the significance of this challenge, came up with a solution by partnering with Wheel Fun,” she said.