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Posted September 20, 2023 | By Caroline Brauchler
caroline@ocalagazette.com

If you were taking a stroll through downtown Ocala last weekend, you may have seen a golf cart buzzing around, with a driver saying, “Would you like a ride? It’s free!”

One of those drivers was Jessica Fieldhouse, executive director of Ocala Main Street, helping kick off a new trolley system to shuttle visitors to and from their favorite spots in downtown.

“It really is like the highest form of southern hospitality, being able to drive people around and ask them about their evening and recommend places for them to go,” Fieldhouse said.

In its soft-launch debut on Sept. 15 and 16, more than 150 people rode on the trolley, which is actually two four-seater golf carts donated by Cart World.

The trolley will run from 6 to 8:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday.

The service is free to riders and makes its first stop east of the downtown square on Broadway Street, goes south on Southeast Osceola Avenue then east on Fort King Street. Its second stop is at Fort King and Southwest First Street, where it then goes north on Southwest First Street and makes its third stop on Broadway Street, this time on the west side of the downtown square. The trolley then travels all the way around the square, making its final stop on the northeast corner and repeating the route all over again.

The trolley seeks volunteers, as it needs four people per weekend to drive the carts around to pick up and drop off passengers. There were 10 volunteers in its first weekend, including Fieldhouse.

“I think people were a little confused because they really did think that they were having to pay to use the service. So, most of the time we were explaining, ‘Hey, would you like a ride? It’s free,’ and then people would jump on,” she said.

Volunteers are unpaid but may accept tips from riders. You must be 18 years old with a valid driver’s license to volunteer to drive for the trolley.

For older residents or people with disabilities, the trolley could make roaming around town much more accessible.

“I did pick up a gentleman that parked on the downtown square and he had a cane, and I needed to take him up to Harry’s because he had forgotten his wallet,” Fieldhouse said. “He was so grateful, I thought he was going to cry.”

Eventually, Ocala Main Street would like to acquire larger, ADA accessible vehicles so people in wheelchairs or with other physical disabilities might be able to utilize the service too, Fieldhouse said.

Even after just the first weekend, Fieldhouse said she thinks that the success of the trolley will allow them to expand the service to an even broader route, have more golf carts and eventually even have an actual trolley.

“For the soft launch, we really wanted to work around the square and focus on the primary expansion of the downtown boundaries,” she said. “We ended up expanding the route even on the first two days of us trying out the soft launch. So, we’re actually expanding it to the (Ocala Downtown) Market and down to Infinite (Ale Works) as well.”

Cart World has committed to donating six-seater golf carts when the need arises, which based on performance so far, has the potential of happening, Fieldhouse said.

“The parking garage is getting full very quickly, especially when it’s busy in downtown. So having this option to kind of valet people from outlying parking lots was really beneficial for them,” she said.

Cart World will also lend Ocala Main Street carts as needed for larger, seasonal events like Light Up Ocala and New Year’s Eve.

“It’s great to feel the positivity to know that it’s something that is going to be beneficial,” Fieldhouse said. “I’m more than happy to receive feedback or talk to anybody about the trolley service and just encourage our community to help spread the word and get involved.”

To learn more, go to ocalamainstreet.org