OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Dozens of residents, press and city employees stood in a brief, bright sun shower Friday morning to witness the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the debut of the City of Ocala’s new O-Line Trolley.
“This trolley really provides a convenient way to get around our city,” said Ocala City Manager Pete Lee while speaking in front of the gleaming blue vehicle. “It’s an extension of our vision to stretch downtown and at the same time make things closer, make it easier to park and to get to your destination… It creates connections between points that weren’t always so easy to get to and takes away a little bit of the perceived barrier of State Road 40, you can park on either side and get to where you’re going.”
Lee thanked Ocala’s SunTran team, city staff, Marion County staff and the Florida Department of Transportation for their voluminous work on the project, as well.
After speaking, Lee called Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano up to the podium.
“We put a lot of focus on our downtown development, and this is going to be a great addition,” Marciano said. “What I love about the O-Line Trolley is that it’s about more than just transportation, it’s about bringing people together and giving our visitors and our residents another reason to experience our great downtown.”
Following the mayor’s remarks, various folks involved in the O-Line process joined Ocala City Council President Ire Bethea, Sr., as he cut the ceremonial ribbon.
At the end of the ceremony, the first-ever riders boarded the trolley (which seats around 26), and it headed off on its loop through the city.
As previously reported, the O-Line Trolley is always free, and runs Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.