[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki

Who is going to wait 20 minutes for a bus to pic them up? No one is going to ride from Spanish Springs to Brownwood.

If they ran on schedule, there would be no need to wait 20 minutes.

And I think a lot of people would take a trolley from Spanish Springs to Brownwood. If you are getting old and are reluctant to drive, it is faster than a golf cart.

And there is supposed to be billions available for green transportation.

St. Augustine got funding for a free shuttle service. Surely we can get federal or state funding for a pilot program.

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[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I was actually surprised that the Villages didn't already have a tram system, when I first came to visit years ago. My grandparents lived in Century Village in Deerfield Beach - much much smaller community, maybe the size of the Historic section with one big clubhouse, one golf course, and a pool for each section of condos. There were three or four trams total, that would go back and forth, picking up and dropping off passengers at each section with a stop at the shopping plaza where they had some medical offices as well, and another stop at the clubhouse. They'd go from around 7AM til 9:30PM, when the clubhouse closed for the night after shows (it was pretty big, with a full sized theatre, similar to the Savannah Center).

I could see a similar setup in The Villages, where each Rec Center would be a stop. But instead of one big loop like they had at Century Village, it'd be a series of loops. For instance, the Hacienda Rec Center stop would take people to the Hospital campus, since Spanish Springs is only one block away from that rec center. From the Hospital campus, there might be another route that gets people to and from the Savannah center. Hacienda would also be a stop for a loop to and from the Historic Section. Spanish Springs town square might have a loop to Sumter, another loop to the strip malls (maybe Best Buy?), another to Chula Vista rec center and then to the driving range. People could use these for day-trips, by taking advantage of transfers between loops.

It'd absolutely take much longer than driving yourself, but if you can't drive anymore, or don't want to deal with driving and parking in a town square for entertainment, you could just go to the nearest rec center and hop transfers do dinner and dancing.

Instead of a separate pass, you'd scan your ID. You can get billed by the month, the quarter, six months at a time, a full year, or per trip.

[Bogie Shooter]

Been reading TOTV for 16 years this pie in the sky topic has been discussed before…..when TV was a whole lot smaller.
Doubt if an Uber driver will haul you from one square to another for a buck or a trolley either.🤦
.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Been reading TOTV for 16 years this pie in the sky topic has been discussed before…..when TV was a whole lot smaller.
Doubt if an Uber driver will haul you from one square to another for a buck or a trolley either.🤦
.

There is nothing new or novel about this. The suggestion by some that there is some 'green' funding or state contribution possibilities is so misleading. The Feds or FL is not going to underwrite a program to shuttle retirees from square to square or other points of interest. That type of funding is usually awarded to communities as a way to connect those work force residents with their places of employment. I know of no grants awarded for connectivity to bars, restaurants or recreation in an amenity based development.

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

There is nothing new or novel about this. The suggestion by some that there is some 'green' funding or state contribution possibilities is so misleading. The Feds or FL is not going to underwrite a program to shuttle retirees from square to square or other points of interest. That type of funding is usually awarded to communities as a way to connect those work force residents with their places of employment. I know of no grants awarded for connectivity to bars, restaurants or recreation in an amenity based development.

St. Augustine is also preparing to launch a free shuttle downtown with the help of Florida Department of Transportation funds. I don't think this is to connect work residents with their places of employment. I believe that the free downtown shuttle would be primarily for tourists - to connect them to bars and restaurants.

If global warming is as existential as people say, I would think that the Federal and state government would provide us funding to save the planet.

It doesn't hurt to apply for the funds - all they can do is say no. There are a lot of votes in the Villages. And people would save a lot of money if they could stay independent for a year or two instead of going to an assisted living facility or a nursing home.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

St. Augustine is also preparing to launch a free shuttle downtown with the help of Florida Department of Transportation funds. I don't think this is to connect work residents with their places of employment. I believe that the free downtown shuttle would be primarily for tourists - to connect them to bars and restaurants.

If global warming is as existential as people say, I would think that the Federal and state government would provide us funding to save the planet.

It doesn't hurt to apply for the funds - all they can do is say no. There are a lot of votes in the Villages. And people would save a lot of money if they could stay independent for a year or two instead of going to an assisted living facility or a nursing home.

I agree on the request but understand, St. Augustine is a municipality....big difference. As another posted earlier, if it was that important, the developer would’ve found a way to implement by now. I don’t think it’s amongst their top priorities. There are voters in TV, but I don’t see any politician getting bounced over an issue like this

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

I agree on the request but understand, St. Augustine is a municipality....big difference.

St. Augustine may be a municipality (which is “any city, town, or village duly incorporated under the laws of the state”) but it has a population of less than 16,000.

Not sure why its political definition makes a difference in funding.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was a $1.2 trillion bill. As far as I can tell, it was not limited to municipalities. One of the bill’s purposes was to address climate change. If we can get 5% of Villagers to use it, it would perhaps save the planet. Surely we can get our fair share of the money.

And the government should also put a connecting rail from the Villages to Orlando airport. That would be very popular!

[msilagy]

I guess some folks really believe they live in Disneyland!

[collegeref]

Cleverly written the
Vehicle meaning the
car and car with letter
T on the end. That at
least would give those
who believe their empowered from
danger with the
CART an option.
Example: A trolley
from SS 2x 8:30 and
9:30 with a few drop
sites. Those paying
Ride share now would
not even blink at a 10
dollar ride. Just a
thought.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by Minoletti

Someone mentioned a monorail in jest i think, but how about using those sale trollys as a form of villager transportation running during peak hours to various rec centers and squares?
I am sure some seniors would use them as a shuttle frequently, along with their visitors.
Also a way to "enjoy" multiple beverages without putting the key in the vehicle.

It’s an interesting idea, but there are problems. When I go to a rec center, I need to be there at a specific time. I don’t want to get there an hour early or late. The trolleys are big, use a lot of gas, and they aren’t efficient ways of getting one or two people to a place and doing an at-home pickup and drop off. (We’ve all seen the complaints about shuttle services here.) Many people live a mile from their postal station, so they won’t walk there for a pickup. Driving there for a pickup defeats the purpose, as those who need this can’t drive.

Uber and Lyft are thoughts in the right direction, but those drivers make a living by having lots of fares or long fares. I’ve only taken a few Uber rides, to and from Denver airport to my dad’s house. That’s about a 45 minute ride. The fare ranged, according to time of day and availability, from $50 to $75. That’s more than lots of villagers can afford.

What we need is something like a combination of Meals-on-Wheels and the Community Watch people. That is, something that might be coordinated by a church group or by The Villages. The drivers would all be villagers. The people using it would all be villagers. The destinations would be close to The Villages or to doctors’ offices and hospitals as far away as Ocala. (No airport runs.) The drivers could use their own cars, but they would be electric vehicles, and the driving would pay for them. The cost would be by time rather than by distance, and it would be a max of, say, $15 per hour (including the cost of the driver’s return home after drop-off. There would be a dispatcher to assign cars. Reservations could be made weeks in advance for people who need to go to medical appointments. Drivers could wait indefinitely and accept the responsibility of taking people home after, say, a colonoscopy or other day surgery. This would be a huge benefit for a lot of people here who can’t drive.

It’s possible that there might be county agencies that could help support this. The Villages could own the vehicles, and the drivers could pick them up and return them daily. The people who would need this service would mostly be people unable to play golf or pickleball or even go to clubs in rec centers. Just as all those people pay amenities fees that cover those costs, perhaps we could all help subsidize a service like this, say by covering the cost of the cars and a dispatcher, that would help those who don’t use many other amenities.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was a $1.2 trillion bill!

It is just what you said it was, “ A BILL “. Except we got the double whammy. We paid more in taxes and it assisted in giving us more inflation.

[DrHitch]

Start small:

Only use the trolley buses to go to the three (four) squares for SPECIAL EVENTS ONLY.

The trolleys are "owned" by The Villages real estate group as a way transport prospective buyers to new home areas. So, that organization will have to decide if it's profitable to use their vehicles as a free/paid shuttle...but, onboard advertising may get passengers to buy new houses!!!

[bragones]

A trolley would solve a growing parking problem in TV. When there is a special event or hot band at a square parking has become very difficult if not impossible. On two separate occasions, we have tried but failed to attend an event at a square due to lack of parking.

[Normal]

Originally Posted by bragones

A trolley would solve a growing parking problem in TV. When there is a special event or hot band at a square parking has become very difficult if not impossible. On two separate occasions, we have tried but failed to attend an event at a square due to lack of parking.

And where would you park to initially get on a trolley? As you mentioned, the square parking is already an issue.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by DrHitch

Start small:

Only use the trolley buses to go to the three (four) squares for SPECIAL EVENTS ONLY.

The trolleys are "owned" by The Villages real estate group as a way transport prospective buyers to new home areas. So, that organization will have to decide if it's profitable to use their vehicles as a free/paid shuttle...but, onboard advertising may get passengers to buy new houses!!!

This is actually a more realistic option. An event organizer could choose to ‘charter’ the existing, TV owned fleet and pay costs associated with said including driver compensation.