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.

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!!!

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.

Next question
 

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

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.

I could be wrong, but I think the trolley tours are operated mostly by volunteers.

Good idea! Routes, schedules, tickets/fares etc. could be figured out and adapted.

Since it would be event specific charter....costs for such borne by organizer....temporary routes could be set up at rec centers, mail pickups etc so attendees could leave personal vehicles at home and still have a centrally located and designated pick up/drop off location on event days.

They are and The Villages Recreation Department organizes most events.

Sounds good
 

Pickup might be solved, now for the big one. What about the bottleneck at the end of an event? If it ends at 9, is it first come first serve and drivers repeatedly drive routes till everyone is gone? Maybe their shift is 2 hours past square closings?

Logistics my friend. Thus the word ‘organizers’

I would LOVE to see some type of Village Transport. I live in the southern part and would use a trolley, if it was reliable.

I don't agree. And it doesn't have to be profitable it just has to break even.

Haven't you heard? Those aren't safe anymore. So many driving under someone else's name.

So let's do little vans then. ANYTHING. Not everyone can drive!

Sorry. If i see driverless vehicles im getting some traffic cones to put on their hoods..

They will if they aren't allowed to drive anymore. or are drunk. Or or or...

parking
 

For special events, like art fair at Brownwood. Not enough parking in Brownwood, Could shuttle between other squares, reduce parking conjestion at Brownwood. Also for special events at other squares.

One problem, indulging at the squares and a ride back to the original pick up location like another square. Then what, drive home?

It would be an answer to the parking problems at the squares also. I’m sure it would be a Huge money maker for the Morse family. They have their hands into everything so why not transportation too.

If they thought it would be a money maker and help to sell more houses they would have been all over this years ago.

This would actually be easy to do. They have plenty of those trolleys just sitting over by Lake Sumter. Maybe scan your Villagers card for access and a small $3.00 fee for each way your going. It would be cashless and if you have 3 guests riding with you your card is then scanned the additional three times to cover their ride.
The trolleys would start in the far north at the Mulberry Recreation center and end at a site in the far southern end of The villages. With stops only at the regional recreation centers and town squares. They would only stay on Morse and Buena Vista.
The startup would have a six month run to see if it is popular with the residents. If indeed it is popular then The VIllages can go forward with it for a longer period.

Would be nice if Brightline would come through the villages.

Fine - they go to the squares for special events only. Where will they come FROM? What will be their route? How many of these buses will there be? Where do they pick passengers up, on their way to the squares?

Are they picking passengers up at their homes? That's around 80,000 homes. You'll need a lot of busses - not because all 80k people are going somewhere that day but - because those 80k people are spread out over around 70 square miles of property. If ONE person in the Historic section wants to go to an event at Brownwood, someone's gonna have to get the bus up that end, to pick up that one person.

That's why I think a network, a transportation routing system - is the best option.

Huge money maker?

So, I live a mile from the rec center……how do I get there from my house?

Uber and Lyft seem much more costly in TV than in other cities and availability is less.

For those of us preferring not to drive, public transport -even if only on major roads -would be a godsend and just think of how it might alleviate parking woes….

My biggest disappointment with life in TV and its design is lack of walkability to necessities (grocers, restaurants, etc).

Guess we can’t have it all…

You could walk.
Ride a bike.
Take a golf cart.
Carpool with a neighbor.

If we live long enough, at some point most of us will not be able to drive a car.

Those of you that are against it now may benefit from it someday.

A six month trial program would be great. If it doesn’t work out, we can end it. If it works out, we can continue it.

We won’t know until we try it.

I agree.

I'm not down there full time so I can't say how Uber is there. But up here, if I want a short ride it's almost impossible to get a driver to take the ride. I want to go to a local bar, 10 minute ride and they won't pick me up because they make nothing.

What I want is for Uber to allow me to put in what I am going to tip before the ride. I'd pay $20 for a ride each way if I know I shouldn't be driving home. But the driver has no way to know that and none of them accept the ride.

Self driving cars would be great but I'm betting there will still be some liablity on the human in the car if they are drunk.

That puzzles me, if it’s a self-driving car, what difference does what situation the passenger is in, as long as they can get in and out?

You want a grocer on every corner. I think you picked the wrong retirement community.

The owner(s) of driverless vehicles will never be absolved of liability in its operation

If i could carpool he could take where i wanted to go.

A trolley(?) does me no good……to assisted living I do go!

Trolley routes for SPECIAL events
 

My thoughts are square-to-square only....each square has a sales office. The trolleys drop off and pick up in BACK of each sales office. Run on 1/2 hour schedule to minimize congested parking

This has been brought up before. The idea that some sort of public transportation between the squares could be financial self-sustaining seems a far reach to me. That would put the costs on the residents. I vote no. Sorry. I just don't believe that there is a need or enough of an interest. Some interest, yes. Enough interest, no.

You said you don’t “believe that there is a need or enough of an interest”.

Would you oppose a trial period? Just to see if you are correct?

Ya, golf carts are enough. It takes me when and where I want to go.

How does this help those that cannot drive?