For Immediate Release

For more information contact:
Steve Kratzer
Marketing and Business Development Representative
steve.kratzer@optimabus.com
316-779-7700 ext. 344

MST Trolleys Debut With Record-Breaking Ridership

Monterey, CA – June 8, 2004 – Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) is pleased to report the new MST Trolleys on The WAVE route were a tremendous success over the Memorial Day weekend with record-breaking ridership aboard the vehicles.

The holiday weekend marked the debut of the trolleys with ridership of 6,714 passengers, or 73.3 riders per hour. By comparison, the last Memorial Day that was run with a traditional modern-style bus saw 3,989 passenger boardings for the entire 3-day weekend.

MST attributes this success to the appeal of the trolleys themselves. The Victorian-style trolleys are a beautiful recreation of a turn-of-the-century streetcar. Moreover, they are free to passengers and are enjoyed by visitors and locals alike. The service offers an easy way for people to move around downtown Monterey and along the waterfront shops, restaurants and attractions without traffic or parking congestion.

MST purchased a fleet of six American Heritage Streetcar trolley replicas from Optima Bus Corporation through a public/private partnership with the City of Monterey, Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Federal Transit Administration and Municipal Services Group, a public sector financing specialist.

The MST Trolleys operate 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days per week and will serve The WAVE route through Labor Day, September 6, 2004.

For more information on The MST Trolley or any of MST’s other services, call (831)899-2555 or visit MST Online at www.mst.org.