In-Towner trolley gives free rides in downtown Tampa

The free In-Towner trolley makes getting around downtown Tampa a little less expensive. 

The trolley, operated by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) Authority, provides weekday trips from 6-8:30 a.m. and 3:30-6 p.m. 

“It’s more convenient,” says HART CEO Katharine Eagan. “It’s one more option we’re providing so people can easily travel downtown while leaving behind their cards and congested parking lots. Whether it’s for medical appointments, shopping, entertainment, or work, we want people to be aware that the can use public transportation to take them there.” 

The rubber-wheeled trolleys make trips every 15 minutes along their routes that conveniently take riders to several major destinations, including Harbour Island, the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa Museum of Art, Curtis Hixon Park, David A. Straz, Jr., Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa Theatre, Tampa City Hall, the major downtown Tampa hotels, the TECO Line Streetcar system, the federal and county courthouses, and the Marion Transit Center. Service animals are allowed on the trollies, which are also equipped with bicycle racks for those who wish to take along their bikes. 

According to HART Public Information Officer Sandra Morrison, the free trollies are seeing sufficient foot traffic, though service is confined now to fairly limited service hours that largely serve the rush-hour crowd. “There has been talk about extending hours on the weekdays and also offering weekend hours,” she says. “The trollies were just made free on October 1, so it’s still a relatively new service.”