Rose-E
Electric Trolley
Pilot Project
May 15-September 29, 2024
Overview
Pilot Overview
Marketing
Ridership Data
Survey Response
Lessons Learned
Future Opportunities
Rose-E was conceived by the Downtown Action Organization as a way to address connectivity issues between Courthouse Square and Historic Railroad Square, with the goal of testing a fun method of transport that would link tourists and visitors to both sides of Downtown, provide entertainment for locals and help SMART riders reach their final destination.
Rose-E Pilot
Multiple community organizations came together to support the DAO in testing the Rose-E pilot program:
Community
Partnership
Visit Santa Rosa oversaw the marketing
efforts which included a dedicated
webpage, social media posts,
distributed printed materials, stationary
signage throughout Downtown and
promotions during local radio
interviews.
Social Media
Total reach from Facebook and Instagram
was 61,604
Webpage
9,305 Page views from 5,388 unique
viewers who stayed for an average of 1
minute 7 seconds
Printed Materials
2,500 Rack Cards and 260 Posters were
distributed in the Downtown area
NUMBER
2,760
5,388
61,604
Ridership Data
Total Riders
3,754 Riders rode Rose-E during the pilot - the majority rode on Saturday, the longest day of service and were
spread out evenly from May through September.
Peak Days & Hours
The most popular days, based on an average of riders
per hour, were Sundays, and the most popular hours
were between 2 and 3pm on the weekends followed by
7-8pm.
Consistent Weekly
There was no specific pattern to the weekly ridership
with weekly totals ranging from 118 passengers to 301
passengers.
Saturday31.5%
Sunday22.9%
Wednesday17.5%
Friday15.3%
Thursday12.9%
11AM-12PM
6.5 12PM-1PM
7.75 1PM-2PM
10 2PM-3PM
11.7 3-4PM
9.6 AVERAGE NUMBER OF RIDERS DURING
SPECIFIC HOUR BLOCKS OF TIME
4-5PM
9 5-6PM
6.12 6-7PM
8.77 7-8PM
10.32 8-9PM
7.25 WEDNESDAY
34.58 THURSDAY
25.42 FRIDAY
31.83 SATURDAY
65.67 SUNDAY
45.21 AVERAGE NUMBER OF RIDERS PER DAY
OVER 19 WEEK PROGRAM
WEDNESDAY
8.88 THURSDAY
6.36 FRIDAY
7.96 SATURDAY
8.76 SUNDAY
11.01 AVERAGE NUMBER OF RIDERS PER HOUR
OVER 435 HOUR PROGRAM
The average number of riders per party
was 2.9
Average 2.9 riders
The California Welcome Center was the
most popular location to start the ride,
followed by Courthouse Square and 4th
Street near Russian River Brewing.
Nearly 80% of survey respondents were
from Santa Rosa. 8.2% were from Sonoma
County, 3.5% from the Bay Area, 4.1%
from California and 4.1% were out of state.
Locals Love It
98.6% of respondents said they wanted
to see Rose-E return regularly or become
a permanent program
Positive Feedback
Survey Response
145 riders took an optional survey w hile on
board - this is w hat w e learned from them :
California Welcome Center
Rider Feedback
Rider Habits
90%
67%
64%
85%
Said they shopped, dined or
enjoyed entertainment
Downtown on the same trip
that they rode Rose-E, and
43% attended public events.
Shopped & Dined
Rode Rose-E on a full loop,
getting on and off at the
same stop in one ride. 22%
rode point-to-point and 12%
rode out and back.
Full Loop
Indicated they were already
Downtown when they
decided to ride Rose-E. 36%
said they came Downtown
specifically to ride Rose-E.
Bonus Benefit
Rode the trolley just for fun,
while 15% utilized it to get
around Downtown
Family Fun
T h o s e w h o to o k th e in itia l s u rv e y w e re a s k e d to c o m p le te s o m e a d d itio n a l q u e s tio n s . 5 8 re s p o n d e n ts in d ic a te d th e fo llo w in g :
Tours for Tourists
Attractions for
Local Families
Connecting SMART
Riders
Eco-friendly
approach
Weekend Hours
Consistent Schedule
/ Tracking
Weather Saver
Lessons Learned
A fte r s p e a k in g w ith h o te ls , h ig h tra ffic b u s in e s s e s a n d R o s e -E s to p s , a s w e ll a s re v ie w in g o p e n e n d e d s u rv e y fe e d b a c k , s e v e ra l k e y e le m e n ts e m e rg e d :
Utilize Rosie
Lease Trolley
Shared Ride ContractElectric Tram
Future Cross-Town Transit
Opportunities
The cost per rider for the pilot
was approximately $17 per
person. If there was interest in
continuing the concept, leasing
from a trolley company that
provides drivers or leasing a
trolley and contracting out
driving to a local logistics
company, would be an option to
continue delivering connectivity.
A timetable or route tracker
would be a necessary addition.
Utilizing the City’s trolley for a
schedule focused on peak use
days, would maintain the appeal
of the historic transportation,
allow for an integration of
income-generating tours geared
toward tourists and provide
continued connectivity when
most needed. Maintenance and
hiring drivers is a challenge, so
consistency of scheduling
might be a challenge.
A relatively inexpensive option
to purchase, and easier to
maintain than Rosie, a tram
could be utilized in a similar
style to the trolley and maintain
minimal environmental impact.
Income-generating tours would
be possible, along with
continued connectivity for
SMART riders and tourists.
Similar to the LumaGo pilot that
launched in Petaluma, a
decision could be made to
contract with a company that
has the infrastructure to provide
on demand ride-share service
that could meet the need of
cross town transport.