The TECO Line Streetcar is bringing more foot traffic to Ybor City as free public transit looks to expand across Tampa.<\/p>\n
The streetcar is nearly three miles of track connecting the Channel District to historic Ybor City as a joint project between the City of Tampa and Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority. Local business owners in Ybor say it\u2019s been a boon for pedestrian traffic this time of year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trolley delivers both locals and tourists to major hotspots throughout Downtown, the Channel District, and Ybor City,\u201d Joshua Cascio, communications and public outreach coordinator for the city of Tampa\u2019s infrastructure & mobility department. \u201cIt brings paying customers directly to its stops and often introduces people to places they might not have driven to otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Offering free rides means users bring their spending elsewhere, Cascio said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system is on time, reliable, and leaves riders in a good mood making them more likely to grab a meal, buy a gift, or pick up a keepsake,\u201d Cascio said. \u201cAnd because it\u2019s free, riders\u2019 budgets go toward local spending, not transit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Brewing Company<\/a> opened its doors in Ybor City in 1997 and relocated to the Centro Ybor plaza in 2006.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no parking, so having a trolley stop by is very nice, especially with foot traffic from the port,\u201d said General Manager Tessa Koppenhafer. \u201cThe trolley is a huge asset.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of the customers coming to Centro Ybor from the streetcar are sports fans and concert goers, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI do not see a lot of people using the trolley outside of sports, concerts and conferences, but we are thankful for the ones we get,\u201d Koppenhafer said. \u201cMost of our business are locals and regulars who have been coming for years.\u201d<\/p>\n The first streetcar lines<\/a> came to Tampa in 1892. They reached peak popularity in the 1920s and stopped operation in 1946. With years of support from the Tampa & Ybor City Street Railway Society, streetcars resumed in 2002.<\/p>\n During its peak, Tampa Bay\u2019s streetcars spanned 53 miles of track<\/a>. Even at the end of World War II, the only Florida cities with a streetcar transportation system were Tampa and St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n