Downtown Cape 'trolley' starts operation today

There's a new set of wheels trolling around downtown.

A new trolley -- really just a shuttle bus dressed up as a trolley -- will provide free rides throughout downtown Cape Girardeau beginning today.

The trolley will run from 4 to 11 p.m. on Thursdays and from noon to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The idea is to help people get around town, while alleviating traffic and parking issues.

For now, it's being considered an experiment. The first six months of the service will constitute a trial period so officials can evaluate ridership, according to reporting by Mark Bliss.

The trolley will have seven designated stops during the trial period, which include:

* Public parking lot at the corner of Broadway and Middle Street

* Fountain Street by the Marquette Tower

* Public parking lot at corner of Broadway and Main Street

* Isle Casino Cape Girardeau

* Public parking lot at Main and Independence streets

* Public parking lot at 35 S. Spanish St.

* Corner of Spanish and Themis streets

A federal grant and the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau funded the upfront costs.

Additional operating costs will be met by a community partnership that includes Isle Casino and the Downtown Cape Girardeau Community Improvement District, officials said in the news release. The trolley will be operated by the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority. If the van/trolley doesn't work out, the transit authority will take ownership of the vehicle into its fleet.

This seems like a low-risk plan worth trying. Downtown is a busier place these days. There are many reasons to go downtown, particularly on weekends during the warmer months when plenty of activities are planned. We hope people find the trolley useful. But if not, no harm done in trying this experiment.