You may have already seen them rumbling through the downtown — trolleys packed with children, often pressed up against the windows, and adults from the downtown area headed to Rochesterfest.
Rochester Trolley & Tour was contracted this year to provide free trolley rides to shuttle people to the event's new location at Soldiers Field park.
Dan Butterfass, owner of the trolley service, said they run daily trolley tours but they have rarely seen the vehicles as packed as this week. He said they have already transported several hundred people to and from Rochesterfest in the first two days.
He said he would like to offer the service annually but hasn't made any plans yet.
People interviewed Tuesday said they thought the trolley service was a good idea. Candy Harvey, who was riding with several children, said she thinks the service is "fun for kids" and makes it easy to get around. She said the fun of the ride will encourage people to try it.
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"I think it's great that people can just get down there on their lunch break," Harvey said.
Alan Wiley, who works at Mayo Clinic, said he won't go to Rochesterfest as much this year due to it not being in the downtown area. But he said he would be going even less frequently if the free trolley service wasn't offered.
The trolleys will be running from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Friday. The route travels from the downtown Marriott Hotel to Soldiers Field and back. A trolley will pick up riders every 10 minutes while they are running.
