Miami trolley system may get five more years of life

City commissioners are to act on two resolutions today (11/17) that would provide Miami’s trolley system with additional funding and extend the contract terms with a 20% increase to hourly service rates.

The first resolution would authorize the city manager to execute a public transportation grant agreement between the city and the Florida Department of Transportation whereby the city would use the state’s $1,020,450 to buy up to two additional trolley vehicles.

The second resolution would extend the contract terms laid out in the agreement between the city and Limousines of South Florida, which has provided trolley services since 2012. The original resolution, adopted by the commission on Jan. 12, 2012, stipulated a five-year initial term with five additional one-year options to renew for a total of 10 years.

The contract is now in its second extension and is set to expire Dec. 24 unless commissioners approve another extension. The resolution states it is in the city’s best interest to extend the professional services agreement with Limousines of South Florida for another three years with two one-year options to renew.

Background information on the agenda item reveals the proposal to increase the per-hour service rate is because the aging trolley fleet needs repairs that come with a hefty price tag for labor and replacement parts. Citing complications to the current economic climate and global supply chain issues, the proposal recommends increasing the current service rate of $51.79 per hour to $62.15 per hour to offset repair costs.

The city started the trolley program in 2012 to alleviate growing traffic congestion and provide free mass transit to underserved areas.

Trolleys have deep roots in Miami’s history. The first trolley appeared on the streets in 1906 and ran on an electronically powered streetcar system.

The city reinvented the system in 1922 when the first streetcar using overhead wires was introduced. Trolley lines were extended throughout Coral Gables, downtown Miami, and eventually Miami Beach. Services thrived through the ’20s and ’30s until operations sputtered out in the fall of 1940.

It would be over 60 years before South Florida saw a reincarnation of its once-booming trolley program. Coral Gables introduced a seven-trolley fleet in 2003 as an easy and effective option for residents to get around without contributing to the congested traffic and parking in the area.

The City of Miami entered an agreement with Limousines of South Florida on Feb. 27, 2012, to reinstitute trolley services in the municipality. Commissioners raised the service hourly rate once before, in December 2021, from $44.69 to $51.79 to increase pay for trolley drivers.

If the commission approves the resolutions today, Miami’s trolley system could see significant additional funding and continue operations for another five years through 2027.