BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Golden Empire Transit's Toucan Trolley pilot program is gaining momentum, but officials say ridership must grow significantly before the service's June 30 deadline.
Ridership jumped 55% from January to February, climbing from just over 240 rides to 375. Officials say March is trending upward as well.
However, the trolley is still falling well short of what it needs to be sustainable. Toddash Kim, director of operations and planning for Golden Empire Transit, said the program needs at least 100 rides per day to cover operating costs. Right now, the trolley is averaging about a dozen riders a day.
"For the pilot program to succeed, we would need at least 100 rides a day, per day, to get our operating costs," Kim said.
The pilot program costs about $26,000 a month to operate, with some funding coming from state transportation dollars.
Kim said the program is looking to local businesses to help close the gap.
"So to make this a success, we are hoping to gain more local support from our downtown business partners. We do offer advertisements on the buses as well as outside," Kim said.
Weekends are showing the most promise. Saturday ridership has peaked at 46, as riders use the trolley to visit businesses in downtown and Old Town Kern. Kim said the goal is to connect those areas while also reducing parking issues and lunchtime traffic.
"If they want to go to lunch, they can jump on the Toucan Trolley; it's only a 15-minute service. People at jury duty services, they don't have to walk way over to the parking lot; they can just step right outside, where we have a bus stop located," Kim said.
Kim said community feedback has been positive so far. But with the pilot program set to end June 30, he said continued growth and community support will be key in deciding whether the Toucan Trolley stays in service.
The trolley runs Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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