A new free trolley system meant to ease traffic congestion began running Thursday morning in the city of Miami.
The trolley is the result of a $20 million project and opened just in time to prepare for Opening Day for the Miami Marlins at their new stadium.
The service is free to users thanks to a mix of grants, surtax funds and stimulus cash.
Albert Sosa, of the city of Miami, said the trolley serves the Health District, taking riders to Jackson Memorial Hospital, university facilities and hospitals, the courthouse and the new Marlins stadium on game days as well as nongame days.
"The service will run approximately every 15 minutes along the loop. We have four trolleys running. The entire loop will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. We have one running in a clockwise fashion and one running in a counterclockwise fashion," Sosa said.
The trolley has an old-fashioned look, with wooded benches inside. Forty passengers can ride it at a time.
The trolley will run about every 15 minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information on the trolley routes click here.