GREAT FALLS — The Trolley is a staple of Great Falls. It’s still driving around town, but not as much this summer.
Owner Aaron Kueffler says they have suspended their ticketed historic trolley tours due to a lack of interest and a decline in business. Business has been much slower over the last several years, with COVID being the driving force behind lower numbers.
“Everything kind of slowed down, and we lost a lot of our tourism in the summertimes and for the last several years it’s just been a steady decline,” Kueffler said. “We’re just playing it by ear now, going month-by-month. We decided in June, we just weren’t going to do it. There just wasn’t any interest. With the rising gas costs and wages and all that it just didn’t make business sense to keep do them.”
The town’s historic icon originally began as a California streetcar before moving on to Washington College to be used as student transportation. As time went by, the school bought a bus fleet and the trolley retired. Here, the 1884 number on the trolley sparked the interest of its next owner, a Great Falls resident.
The trolley has since made its way through Great Falls to shuttle people around for historical tours, reunions, weddings, field trips, luminaria tours, and more, providing groups the chance to get around town in a fun and efficient way.
Kueffler bought the trolley from the Downtown Great Falls Association in 2018. He has since enjoyed driving the trolley around town and seeing peoples’ faces. While Kueffler expects business to pick up eventually, in the meantime, he has limited the trolley to focus more on community and themed events throughout the summer.
Click here to visit the Trolley website.
Trolley feature from January 2021:
