WAVE Transit unveils new Port City Trolley Program

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - On Monday, Wave Transit unveiled a new Trolley Program that will better meet the needs of the community.

“A lot of folks have told us, especially elected officials, are telling us ‘stop doing what you’re doing all the time and think outside of the box,’ well this is an outside-of-the-box type of program," said Wave Transit Executive Director Albert Eby.

This trolley will replace the previous trolley and will have a revised route and a new name.

The community engaged in a naming contest in May with voters choosing the name, Port City Trolley.

UNCW Graphic Design Department created the new branding for the trolley.

The previous trolley ran its course and exceeded its life by two years. This new trolley will be a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective one, using compressed natural gas compared to diesel.

The new route will pick up passengers in all of the five downtown districts, which include North Waterfront, Brooklyn Arts, Central Business, Castle Street and South Front.

“When we started and tried to reinvent the program, the group that we were working with said, ‘We really want to start highlighting these districts, they are each unique to the downtown area, but let’s stop thinking of the downtown as just the central business district,’" says Eby. "It’s going to be a huge improvement to what we have been doing downtown but we think it’s going to be a real asset to the downtown area.”

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