Expanding trolley service is just an idea for now, but it should be pursued.

Pam Marino here, remembering with fondness the Monterey-Salinas Transit Trolley that used to travel from Monterey all the way to Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove. It was an amazing idea, a way to connect visitors with different points of interest while simultaneously reducing the number of cars on the road.

Alas, the route through P.G. only lasted between 2011 and 2013, before funding dried up. The trolley still runs in Monterey during the summer from downtown to the Aquarium and back. Many in P.G. have said for years they want the trolley back. 

The challenge is that it costs money to operate such a service. In 2024, the developers of the American Tin Cannery project, a proposed luxury hotel in P.G. on the border of Monterey, agreed to contribute $50,000 to bring the trolley to P.G. as part of a deal to vacate Sloat Avenue so the hotel could be constructed. That project seems to be on hold for the moment.

In this week’s edition of the Weekly, I was happy to see that someone else thinks the trolley is a good idea too, as reported by Staff Writer Aric Sleeper in his story about the Monterey County Zero Emissions Shared Mobility Study. It was completed by a consultant for the County of Monterey and the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments and presented to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 10.

The study suggests, among other ideas, that the trolley could be expanded beyond summer months and utilized to connect not just Monterey and P.G., but even more of the Monterey Peninsula, creating a car-free way to get around. 

Again, there’s no funding for the idea, but let’s hope support continues to grow for bringing the trolley back and in a much bigger way.

In the meantime, check out Sleeper’s story for more on the potential solutions to improving transportation and lowering emissions in Monterey County.