On June 23rd, the City of Homestead inaugurated the Homestead Trolley service, providing convenient public transportation in the commercial areas of the City. The trolley will transit Miami-Dade College, the City's historic downtown, and the business sector and will connect to the South Miami-Dade busway system which operates north and south through Homestead.
The trolley service will be managed by the City of Homestead through a contract with Limousines of South Florida, Inc. Trolley routes will effectively complement existing Miami-Dade County Metrobus service in the area and will substantially augment public transportation in the City of Homestead. The trolley will operate from Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The trolley service will be free of charge.
There will be one route, "The Downtown Circuit." This route will run on Krome Avenue (S.W. 177th Avenue) and will provide connectivity for the northwest neighborhood. In total there will be ten stops at different points of interest. A complete full loop on this route will take approximately twenty minutes.
Proposed routes include transit from SW 296th Street to SW 328th Street on Krome Avenue and then east to the Villages of Homestead; providing east/west connectivity to the south and east areas of Homestead.
According to Mayor Steven C. Bateman, "Our new trolley service not only maintains our hometown ambience, but also vastly improves our local public transportation system through connections with County bus routes and the busway system."
Funding for the trolley service was provided by a Federal Transit Administration Grant, American Recovery and Investment Act Economic Stimulus Grant, and funding from the People's Transportation Plan Tax. Funding for operations of the trolley will come from sources outside of the City of Homestead.