The Talking Yorktown Trolley

About the Program

Category: Transportation (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

For 13 consecutive years, York County General Services has successfully managed a small fleet of public transit trolleys that run throughout the streets of Historic Yorktown, a popular tourist attraction within the Historic Triangle that also includes Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. The busy tourist season, beginning in the spring and running through fall, has become synonymous with seeing the iconic blue trolleys moving passengers within Yorktown from attraction-to-attraction. The trolley service annually transports nearly 100,000 passengers throughout Yorktown each season. In 2013, each trolley was outfitted with a DR600 talking bus system, an advanced vehicle logic unit with a fully integrated receiver that can track the location of a vehicle and automatically make audible and visual stop announcements at the appropriate location using internal/external speakers and destination signs. When the technology was put into service in 2013, it was met with rave reviews from drivers and passengers alike. The new amenity improved the delivery of public service, in addition to the overall experience riding aboard one of our nostalgic trolleys. It has vastly improved the overall safety program of our trolleys, as drivers are able to focus their attention on safe driving habits rather than making repetitive announcements. Of most importance, the service has made each trolley more adaptable to those that may suffer from visual and/or audible disabilities, as passengers both on-board and waiting at stops can clearly see and hear each trolley destination.