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Free Flip Flops and Cheap Rides
08/30/08 - 05:29 PM
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Bay Town Trolley officials are kicking off their new campaign and their footwear to encourage visitors and residents to flip flop aboard the weekend beach route.

Those walking along the beach will run into over 1 thousand free flip flops placed in strategic areas to encourage more trolley ridership.  It’s part of a new campaign by the Bay Town Trolley to advertise 50 cent rides from one end of the beach to another.

City officials are helping spread the word with piles of free flip flops on the beach anyone can pick up and wear to step aboard the weekend trolley which runs every half hour from Pier Park to Wal-mart along Front Beach Road.

With only 4 more weeks of this summer route, officials are hoping the campaign will help spread the word and make it stick as they aim to continue the route next summer.

Since mid-June when the weekend route started, it’s already seen over 3 thousand riders. 

“Gas is so expensive and everything in our economy is escalating so we’re offering an alternative to the visitor and the poeple that live here,” said Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst adding that she’s noticed a difference on the beach.

“In all of the growth situations across our country you’re seeing that cities are turning to mass transit and the reason of course is the economy and the gas situation and we’d like to think we’d like to think we’re going to be on the beginning edge of that for Bay County,” she said.

The route isn’t the only thing trolley officials are doing to provide more service to their growing ridership.  In March, they extended service hours to 8 pm and at the beginning of August they added an additional trolley to the beach route.

At the end of September city leaders will take ridership into account and decide on whether or not to continue the weekend beach route service.