Public hearings set for fourth Joplin trolley route

(From the City of Joplin)

The City of Joplin will host two Public Meetings on February 26, 2015 for citizens to provide comments about the proposed new route expansion and realignment for the Sunshine Lamp Trolley. Comments can be made during an afternoon meeting from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. or during an evening meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the fifth floor conference room of City Hall, 602 S. Main in Joplin.

The City will be adding a fourth trolley route to better serve the southern part of Joplin, including the medical area and the new Mercy hospital area. The new route will provide convenient service to Freeman East, Freeman West, the new Mercy, and several medical office buildings located along 32nd Street. In coordination with adding the new route, the current Red and Green routes will be realigned to increase on-time performance and reduce service duplications. Trolley riders and Joplin citizens are encouraged to attend either meeting to provide suggestions for the placement of trolley stops along all four routes. The Blue trolley route will remain unchanged.

All four trolley routes will be operated as “deviated fixed” routes. As a deviated fixed route, riders will be able to get on or off a trolley at designated stops or they may schedule a “deviated” pick-up or drop-off at a location within three-quarters of a mile from the trolley route. Deviated stops can be scheduled with as little as two hours advance notice. Riders will be charged $2 for a deviated stop.

The Trolley operates from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Trolley routes can be found online by clicking on the link at the end of this article.

Public transportation initially started in 1998 by the City as five vans transported residents to and from their necessary destinations through MAPS (Metro Area Publictransit Service). In 2007, the City introduced the Sunshine Lamp Trolley with a one-hour loop in the northeastern part of Joplin. In 2009, the City added two more routes which overlapped the existing route. Riders can now reach nearly all areas of the City through public transportation.

On average, 13,000 rides are given each month through the Trolleys and MAPS vans. For more information or to receive a Trolley Route map, please call 417-626-8609.

To view the four routes of Sunshine Lamp Trolley..