Gig Harbor residents and visitors Tuesday boarded the first of many Pierce Transit trolley trips this summer that will connect the historic downtown waterfront to the Uptown shopping district. The service offers trips every 30 minutes between 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, with extended service to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The service will end on Sept. 28.

Local and regional leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. at Skansie Park to herald the new transportation service.

“Trolley service has been a goal of the Gig Harbor community for a number of years,” said Pierce Transit CEO Lynne Griffith. “With such strong support from community stakeholders, the time is right to pilot this project.”

“The trolley will help reduce congestion in downtown, connect the downtown and uptown districts and renew interest in public transportation,” added Gig Harbor Councilmember and Pierce Transit Board Member Derek Young.

The pilot project, which is a partnership between Pierce Transit, Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Gig Harbor Downtown Waterfront Alliance, Merchants of Uptown, and the City of Gig Harbor, will not reduce existing service on Pierce Transit’s Routes 100 and 102, which currently serve the City of Gig Harbor.

More information is available online at piercetransit.org.