Based on what?

Riders could park in some church's parking lot. or rec dept lot and the trolley could pick them up. Just say that it is one more advantage of Village life that the Real Estate salespeople could brag about. Then if it was an electric trolley, we could further brag about how PROGRESSIVE TV Land really is.

Based on usage. If 5 people use it each day we would realize that there is not enough interest. If the trolleys are 75% full, we would realize that there is sufficient interest.

I don’t think anyone is buying or not buying in the villages based on Trolleys driving between LSL and Brownwood.

That means people have to drive to the squares, to get a ride to the square. The whole point of having a trolley/tram system within the Villages, is to avoid having to drive to the square.

Between 466 and 4661 there are 25 postal stations. i did not count between 466A and 44.
Do the math, it will take 60 minutes to get from LSL to brownwood.
ITT could be intriguing once, no one is riding more than once.

I think people are considering this idea from the wrong perspective, for the wrong reasons. The idea of a trolley/tram system isn't to get people from one square to another, and it's also not to eliminate driving.

It's to minimize driving outside the "relative safety" of a residential village area, to get to either non-residential village areas, or to someone else's residential village area. Not eliminate it - just minimize it. To reduce traffic outside the residential village areas while providing a service to people who would most benefit from the service. Who would most benefit? People who PREFER not to drive, or can't drive cars anymore, CAN drive golf carts, but don't really want to. Or who don't feel comfortable driving on the bigger roads, or into the traffic of the squares or other commercial areas. It would also serve those who live in immediate proximity to the pickup/dropoff stops, such as the houses next door to or right behind rec centers, or (for example) the townhouses that surround Spanish Springs, or the Cottages at Sumter.

There are a lot of people who would love to not need to drive "into town" every time they want to come into town, especially if it's for dinner, when the return trip would be at night. Or on festival days when you spend an hour, white-knuckled and gritting your teeth, just to find a parking space and then having to walk four blocks to the festival because there just aren't any, any closer.

This would relieve some folks - while at the same time, reducing the number of vehicles at these destination points. Yes, they still have to get to a rec center to be picked up. But these are people who are still able-bodied and COULD drive, even if it's only driving their golf cart and not their cars anymore. It's also people who /shouldn't/ be driving anymore, but do anyway because how else are they going to get anywhere? The shorter distance they have to go, the less likely they are to cause an accident.

Remember when they trialed valet parking in SS?

This can be discussed until the cows come home but does anyone really think this is going to happen?

If this was of interest would see a lot more taxis and ubers in the bubble

This is a very business savvy developer. Other than more golf cart pathways, that may be all you see for awhile. The recent acquisition of the 3500 acre Monarch Ranch coupled with new I-75 interchange....who knows, maybe down the road they may be thinking an Intermodal passenger component for connectivity. They are a patient group and seem to read the tea leaves pretty well...

No body said anything about being free. I think it's an interesting idea, we lost the taxi service during the covid disaster. If I want to head over to Post 347 for an evening it cost $ 5.00 each way for a local taxi plus a tip. Cheap and safe at 79 I don't want a drink and drive at night. I just wish instead of so many saying no, no, no how about some suggestions of how this could be done. Oh and for the end of earthers, maybe we could use battery power or wind sails to power the trolleys.

Another silly idea.

Quit the beverages would be a better idea.

Route
 

Is this a direct route of 30 minutes from town square to town square, or are there stops everywhere that make the same trip 3 times longer? Where would everyone park if the squares already have issues?

It’s whatever we want, because it won’t become a reality.

It’s actually a large bus that flies to everyone’s house, like the Jetsons.

Trolley
 

Not practical and would be too expensive. Great marketing tool and tour vehicle .

Has potential
 

I like the idea. It needs to be thought through, but it certainly merits consideration. There is potential for many of the large activities to use these.

Love the Jetsons. I think Walt Disney took some pointers from them...

Yes
 

Yes, the thoughts come right in with rainbows, candy sprinkles and pink unicorns.

How many municipalities do you know that have a population of above 150,000 and zero public transit?

Just to play along those lines....how many 'municipalities' have miles upon miles of golf cart pathways. Now how many of the other 'gated' or 'planned' municipalities have public transit within their borders?

In The Villages the paths are called Multi-Modal.
Multi-Modal Path Information and Safety

I agree too.

Too many pie in the sky wishes .......somebody's gotta pay for.

We used UBER once, never again. Credit card was hacked. Bottom line, if it requires an app with a credit card linked it’s not happening.

The planning is missing the public transit component. One doesn’t become aware of it until they get old here or gets ill. We are not a gated community, and the size of the population warrants public transportation. Golf cart paths are like bicycle paths, nice to have but not an alternative if you can’t drive or maintain a cart. Many people move here with the intent to die here, but this community discourages that. Is it time to change that, or do we stay as a transitional community?

This may be of help to you. They will deviate from existing routes for ‘medical appointments’. At the least, if you’re advocating for services like this or in the other two counties, this may be a good starting point...

Reservations and Routes | Sumter County, FL - Official Website

Only the naysayers assume it will be an amenity or somehow "free". Those who recognize that is worthy of consideration also assume there will be a charge of some kind associated with whatever public transport might be available. If there were a taxi company and I called a cab, I would expect to pay a reasonable fare for the miles driven. Even bus or shuttle service of some sort would require riders to pay a fare. So that naysayers argument is off the table.

Kill joy! It's not like you would have to pay for it. God forbid. Riders pay a fare. No reason to even worry about it now.

Of course you are just being silly. If enough people see that a taxi company or bus or shuttle service is desirable as an alternative transport option and can be run efficiently, then it could become a reality.

And are immediately ridiculed. Alternative transportation is a highly desirable service in a community that is aging. If I were a younger person looking to start a business, I would look for a niche that is overlooked in an area were product or service would be desired if made available. Taxi service could be a nice business for an individual or group of investors. To turn hoses up without even considering the possibilities? Of course for those among us who have their town car with chauffeur need not concern themselves with the needs of the hoi-palloi.

So as you know, this thread started out with the question of the need for and/or how sustainable a trolley system here in TV would be. Not to rehash the prior commentary on both....but do you not think the developer has looked at this issue in the past, I don’t know 20 years? It’s not like in a 55+ retirement community that said developer doesn’t have realization that it, on some levels, becomes an aging and limited mobility population....agreed. That said, in an entrepreneurial economy as rich as ours...don’t you think if rideshares, taxis, shuttle or bus services saw the need that has been expressed here....that all the above wouldn’t be deployed all over the region to date? Why is that? I know of no restrictions or ordinance that would restrict it. Maybe it’s just as simple as has been stated many times here.....the ‘demand’ doesn’t justify the need.

I sent a link earlier to another poster. Again, it’s a good option and starting point for those who need an affordable and dedicated assist on occasion...


Reservations and Routes | Sumter County, FL - Official Website

We rode one of these trolleys recently from Sawgrass to the Street of Dreams to see the model homes, and I had trouble climbing up and down the fairly steep steps to get in and out of it. I’m a pretty spry 70 y/o with just minor arthritis in my knees, but I definitely can’t see myself climbing in and out of the trolleys on a regular basis. They’d need some serious modification. Also, wouldn’t they have to legally be handicap accessible to become public transportation? I don’t know the FL laws regarding accessibility.

Good question, but aren't they already being used as public transportation?

Private.

A lot of posters seem to think that the squares are a popular destination. But, I rarely go to the squares.

How so? They offer free tours of The Villages to the public. How would anything change if they started to take people to other locations in The Villages?

Thank you, I’m fine. At this time I drive between two homes 19 hours apart. Golf cart works fine too (now that I use the kill switch to spare the battery). But my aunt at 78 was not fine. She could not do everything needed after her husband died. What she needed was public transportation to do many things; go shopping, go to doctor appointments, go for entertainment… in other words, what people do everyday. She had to sell the house she lived in for 32 years and go into independent living. She had to leave her activities and her friends she could just drop in with.

Don’t kid yourself because you can drive now. You’re going to need this service if you stay here. Especially if your spouse should pass away before you. Why do you think there is public transportation, pretty well everywhere in the world?

I appreciate your post on many levels. As you know, and we both may be pivoting a little bit here....but TV is an ‘active’ retirement community. You are correct, myself included, the day will come when properties and neighborhoods such as this, the ones many of us came from or still split time between.....become insufficient to meet the many needs we will encompass. That is the difficult decisions families make on behalf of loved ones daily in this country.

For bus/shuttle service, think of the squares as hubs where folks could transfer to another line, if needed. And rec centers as community pu and drop off locations for shuttles going to the squares.

Some threads just get more silly as time goes by .

The developer put a lot of thought into creating the villages, but their focus was on selling homes and activities, the lifestyle. But they couldn't think of everything. And the lifestyle changes and needs change.
Lots of room for entrepreneurs to come up with all kinds of sales or services to fill a void. Besides, the developer already has a business. Real-estate! Let others provide food, clothing, autos, hair and nail salons, etc. Even taxi service.