The 38-foot long trolley car scoots down High Street and rings its bell as it stops to pick up several students and faculty in front of the Mountainlair on the Downtown Campus. The red and green trolley is a replica of a early 1900’s-era electric streetcar.

Since July 2001, the Mountain Line 32-passenger trolley has served downtown Morgantown and WVU with rides from the Mountainlair to the Wharf District and One Waterfront Place.

For 25 cents a ride, WVU faculty, staff and students can hop on the Mountainline Jitney between 10:30 a.m. and 2:45 each weekday.

Starting April 1st, WVU staff and students will be able to take the trolley for free.

According to David Bruffy, director of Transit Services for the City of Morgantown, Mountain Line wanted to increase ridership to the Wharf District.”Providing free rides should increase the trolleys use between the two locations,”Bruffy said.

Starting at 10:30 a.m., a trolley will leave the Mountainlair every half hour and wind through downtown streets, stopping at the Monongalia County Courthouse on its way to One Waterfront Place. Until April 1st, two trolleys will run every 15 minutes between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to accommodate the lunch crowd.

“The trolley provides convenient connections for all of WVU s resources and investments that they have put into the Wharf District area and provides WVU employees with more options,”Bruffy added.

Unlike many city bus services, Mountain Line trolleys will pick up patrons anywhere along the bus route. Patrons can flag down a trolley on High Street, Walnut Street, Chestnut Street, Reid Street, University Avenue, Spruce Street and Prospect Street.

In November, the Mountain Line Transit Authority announced that Mountain Lines overall ridership increased by 59 percent. Bruffy said 61 percent of the increase is due to new ridership generated through a WVU contract, in which University students, faculty and staff can ride Mountain Line buses by showing their valid WVU identification card .

The route is being funded through a collaboration of private and public sponsors includingWest Virginia University, the WVU Foundation and several other Morgantown businesses.

Both trolleys are equipped with lift chairs for wheelchairs and are able to transport bicycles.

Bus schedules are available upon request (291-RIDE) and available on-line atwww.busride.org.