WHOOSH Delivers Convenience

     During the summer months, the cost of bringing a car between Woods Hole and Martha’s Vineyard by ferry is at least $135 per round trip.
     It is no wonder, then, that late yesterday afternoon, all of the four people riding the WHOOSH trolley to the Steamship Authority terminal in Woods Hole had come from the Vineyard, and were using the service as a way to access Falmouth’s stores without a car.
     Kathy H. Zac and her daughter Jennifer were carrying shopping bags stuffed with purchases from TJ Maxx.
     The two live in Cheshire, Connecticut, and are staying on the Vineyard for the summer. But Ms. Zac said that shopping is limited and often more expensive on the Vineyard, so they used the trolley for the first time to reach the Falmouth Mall and Main Street. 
     Teenagers Julian A. Willett and Chesley A. Wiseman, both from the Vineyard, were riding the trolley for the second time yesterday, and had also stocked up at TJ Maxx during their time in Falmouth.
     The two said that they like the fact that the trolley is inexpensive—$2 per ride—and that they do not have to worry about driving or parking.
     Chesley added that she would use it to get into Falmouth if she needed a ride to Boston, in order to save friends the hassle of driving into Woods Hole to pick her up.
     And that is exactly what the trolley is geared toward, said Brian A. Currie, Falmouth Town Planner and a member of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, which runs the trolley.
     “The idea is to keep cars out of Woods Hole,” he said.
     Last year, 28,071 people rode the WHOOSH, according Lisa Maragnano, the transit authority’s operations manger.
     Every 30 minutes, from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM on weekdays and 10:30 PM on weekends, the trolley carries people between the Falmouth Mall and the Steamship Authority terminal on Railroad Avenue in Woods Hole, stopping anywhere along the route when flagged down by people on the road or at the request of passengers.
     Trolley riders can also call ahead to request the trolley to stop at the bus station on Depot Avenue, where there is access to a town parking lot and the bike path, as well as bus service to Boston and Providence.
     The trolley used to continue to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium on Albatross Street, but Mr. Currie said planned construction to the Water Street drawbridge caused them to reroute it.
     Service started June 23 this year, a month later than usual.
     It usually starts Memorial Day weekend, but was delayed because of a lack of state funding, Mr. Currie said. In January, the transit authority announced an overall budget shortfall of $968,000.
     The transit authority receives funding from state, local, and federal agencies.
     Service will run until September 1.
     A ridership survey conducted a few years ago found that about 60 percent of trolley riders were residents of Cape Cod and the rest were visiting the area, Mr. Currie said.
     James LaFountain, a scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory, hopped on the trolley at the Steamship Authority yesterday and took it to his home on Nye Road. He said that he often uses the bike path to get to work, but with rain dampening his evening commute yesterday decided to try the trolley.
     Trolley driver Albert Danaf, who lives in Hyannis, said he often gives directions to visitors to Falmouth and helps them with their luggage. He said that in addition to using the trolley to get into Falmouth center, riders sometimes continue on to Hyannis, a bus service connection that can be made at the Falmouth Mall.
     The trolleys are operated by Cape Destinations under a contract with the transit authority, Mr. Currie said.
     Though the rest of the transit authority fleet are run on biodiesel, Ms. Maragnano said that the trolleys are not.
     The transit authority also provides the b-bus, which offers door-to-door service by reservation at $3 per trip, plus 8 cents per mile. It is half-price for seniors.
     More information is available at www.thebreeze.info.