Pensacola Beach, Fla. – (May 23, 2023) – The Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) will launch their free, open-air trolley service along Pensacola Beach this Memorial Day weekend, beginning Friday, May 26.

The 2023 Pensacola Beach Island Trolley, operated by Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT), will run daily from 4 p.m. to midnight through Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 4.

The trolleys help alleviate traffic congestion by allowing visitors to park anywhere and have a convenient way to tour the whole island.

Three trolleys will operate concurrently, running three routes.  The eastern route runs from Casino Beach to Portofino, the western route runs from Casino Beach to Park West near the entrance gate to Gulf Islands National Seashore, and the commercial core route runs from Casino Beach to Grand Marlin with stops occurring along the new access road and at Pensacola Beach Boardwalk.

The energy-efficient, open-air trolleys run on clean diesel fuel and are outfitted with a GPS device that electronically tracks its location, updating its position every 30 seconds.

Visitors can access the real-time trolley schedule four ways:

•  Visit the “Trolley Tracker” at visitpensacolabeach.com/trolleytracker
  •    Call 850-602-9384 and enter the trolley stop number
  •    Text SRIA (space) and the trolley stop number to 41411
  •    Scan the QR code posted at each trolley stop with a smartphone

The trolley system, funded by the SRIA, is free to all riders. To see a map of all trolley stop locations, or for more information, go to visitpensacolabeach.com/trolley-information/.

Pensacola Beach is owned by Escambia County, Fla., and is under the direction of the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA). The SRIA was created by the Florida legislature in 1947 under Chapter 24500. The SRIA does not receive tax support from the taxpayers of the county. It is fully funded from lease fees collected from business and residences on the beach. The SRIA board is made up of six members; five are named by members of the Escambia County Board of Commissioners whose term is the same as the commissioner who appointed them. Registered voters on Pensacola Beach elect the sixth member. The elected member’s term is two years.