Jolly Trolley launches car service for 40th anniversary
After 40 years of shuttling families from Rehoboth Beach to Dewey Beach and back again, the Jolly Trolley is stepping up its game with a chartered car service.
“We’re ready to go for anybody,” said co-owner Dave Hastings. “We’re comfortable, economical, ecological and super-clean. We’re not offering an ostentatious limo service.”
The six Ford Taurus sedans, all emblazoned with the familiar Jolly Trolley logo, are parked outside the company’s motor pool just north of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal bridge. Dave gushed over the wide back seats and the spacious trunks. Anyone looking for a lift to the Amtrak station in Wilmington or Baltimore Washington International airport will enjoy a clean, cozy ride, he said.
“I’m a clean freak,” he said. While the van-towed yellow trolleys remain a cornerstone of the business, the company is evolving. Dave said the decision to expand Jolly Trolley came at a time when he and his wife, Christine, were stressed and exhausted while maintaining the popular trolley’s shuttle route. It was 2007, and they were busier than ever. He said they faced a decision – either sell the business or expand.
They decided to grow. But they needed help. For this they recruited their son, Turner, a 2002 Cape Henlopen High School graduate who had moved to Philadelphia after earning his bachelor of arts in accounting.
“I always knew I’d want to go into business,” Turner said. After nearly two years in Philly, he decided to return to the Cape Region and help develop the trolley’s path forward.
Dave said the three spent months researching routes, rates and strategies for growth. In winter 2010, they bought the six cars. Dave said the fleet was ready to roll for summer 2010, but they decided to hold back on promotional efforts. The country was still in a recession, Dave said, and this year’s high season didn’t need a chartered car service wading into the fray and disrupting local business.
“We didn’t think it would be responsible to push the cars then,” he said. Instead, Jolly Trolley waited until Labor Day had passed, and tourists might be looking for a lift to Philadelphia International Airport.
Turner said Jolly Trolley doesn’t run a cab service – its cars are usually booked 24 hours in advance, though last-minute arrangements can sometimes be made. Sometimes, he said, the customers are traveling to airports or train stations; others, they’re just looking to enjoy a night out with friends.
Years ago, Dave said, he didn’t want to buy the trolley. When the then-owner approached him in 1992, the trolley was rusting, and it would take some work just to make it presentable. But they took the jump.
“We invested an immense amount of time and money into it,” he said. Today, the Jolly Trolley runs on family power: Turner employs his organizational skills at the Rehoboth Beach office, keeping the accounts straight and booking trips. During the summer, the family’s youngest son, William, wakes at 6 a.m. to hose off the two trolleys and prepare them for a day of ferrying families between Rehoboth and Dewey Beach. Both Dave and Christine drive routes during the hectic summer months.
Dave said the company employs more than a dozen drivers. They’re people-people, he said – they wave, smile and make the brief ride between Rehoboth and Dewey a pleasant one. Singing is encouraged, Christine said.
Dave said the company shoots for a win-win-win situation – good for the trolley, good for its customers and good for the area. The business has never been out to make a killing, he said; it won’t sacrifice its sense of community for its profit margin. Good citizenship is a core part of his ethos.
“The ability to have a positive impact makes you feel good,” he said. “It’s the gift of getting up and being a good influence.”
Because the Jolly Trolley has existed for nearly half a century, Christine said, grandparents who rode when they were younger often find themselves introducing the trolley to their grandchildren. For a $2 toll - $1 for children 5 years old and younger – families carry on the tradition and make new memories. Turner said he’s booked more than a few weddings, taking calls from excited brides-to-be insisting on having the trolley ferry their wedding parties.
Want to charter a Jolly Trolley car? Call 302-227-1197 or visit jollytrolley.com
