Pensacola Beach's trolleys are near the end of the line, but replacements are on the way

As Pensacola Beach sees more visitors each year, local authorities are working on multiple infrastructure projects to improve visitors' experience, including renovations to the Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier and adding new dressing rooms to Casino Beach.

For years the Pensacola Beach Island Trolley, funded by the Santa Rosa Island Authority, has offered visitors the option to use their open-air trolleys to get around the beach free of charge.

After years of use, the trolleys are still operable but are nearing the end of their lifespan, according to SRIA Executive Director Leigh Davis.

Last month the SRIA approved the purchase of two replacement trolleys that they plan to put to use during the 2024 season.

An April status report on the SRIA’s capital and infrastructure state-funded projects shows that $550,000 was budgeted for the two replacement trolleys.

Once the replacement trolleys are up and running, their predecessors will be given to Escambia County and added to its fleet.

“We’re hoping that they will be in this season at some point, but we don’t have an exact date for it yet,” Davis said. “Our hope is to purchase the third and final trolley out of Fiscal Year 2025.”

What is the Pensacola Beach Island Trolley?

The Pensacola Beach Island Trolley is a free, open-air service operated by Escambia County Area Transit that can be used to conveniently tour the area and help reduce car traffic into the beach.

The current fleet of vehicles were introduced in 2015 and replaced a set of enclosed, air-conditioned vehicles in order to give beachgoers an "island experience."

The open-air trolleys began service for the 2024 season on Memorial Day and are running through Sept. 2. The routes and schedule of the trolley service will not change with the incoming replacements, according to Davis.

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Where does the Pensacola Beach trolley go?

The Pensacola Beach Island Trolley service uses three trolleys, which run concurrently along three routes to take visitors across the beach for free.

The eastern route goes from Casino Beach to Portofino, the western route runs from Casino Beach to Park West (near the entrance gate to Gulf Islands National Seashore) and the commercial core route takes guests from Casino Beach to Grand Marlin, stopping along the new access road and at Pensacola Beach Boardwalk.

What is the Pensacola Beach trolley’s schedule?

The trolleys provide daily service from 4 p.m. to midnight until Sept. 2 with last pick-up nightly at 11:30 p.m.

Each of the trolleys are equipped with a GPS live-tracking service traditionally offered at visitpensacolabeach.com/trolley-information/, however the tracker is currently offline with no timeline for its return.

You can still access the real-time trolley schedule using one of the following options:

• Call 850-602-9384 and enter the trolley stop number.

• Text SRIA (space) and the trolley stop number to 41411.

• Scan the QR code posted at each trolley stop with a smartphone.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Beach trolley replacement OK'd Santa Rosa Island Authority