With gas prices sky rocketing and summer right around the corner, everyone is looking for a new way to get to where they need to be on a hot, summer day. Anything beats the Traffic and $10 parking, if you can even find a spot at Clearwater beach; the Jolly trolley is a wonderful alternative.
It used to only ferry people around downtown Clearwater but there are now stops in various areas of Tarpon, Dunedin, and Palm Harbor. The trolley operates daily from 10AM to 10PM and comes every hour, on the hour and half hour. Check for exact times in your location on the schedules located in the front of the trolley. It costs only $2 for a one way trip and $4.50 for a day pass.
As far as my first and only time on the trolley goes- I thought it was a great way to get to Clearwater beach. I didn’t want to waste the gas driving all the way down there and not being able to find a spot to park. However, the trolley didn’t show up on time, making my friend and I wait an extra hour and a half when we could have already been down there. Turns out, the trolley is very busy on the weekends and sometimes takes longer to get to the spots at the exact time. Plenty of people I know take the trolley every weekend to get to places and there experience has been stupendous with no trouble at all.
It’s not a great mode of transportation if you have a strict schedule or need to be somewhere at an exact time. It’s remarkable though if you just want to spend a relaxing day downtown, or at the beach. The drivers are extremely friendly and want to accommodate you in any way that they can. The ride its self is pretty enjoyable, you get to look over the ocean and at the town/city in the open vehicle without worrying about anything else.
So forget about the expensive gas and insane parking abilities and take the trolley instead.