CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The city’s free downtown trolley will keep its regular Friday and Saturday hours through most of October, but service will end early on Halloween so streets can close for trick-or-treat and a parade, according to a schedule posted by the Chillicothe Transit System.
The Downtown Route will run Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for most of the month, the transit system said. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the trolley will instead run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., shutting down ahead of downtown road closures that begin at 2 p.m. for trick-or-treat and the Halloween parade.
The trolley will also skip its stop at Enderlin Circle on Friday, Oct. 9, and Saturday, Oct. 10, while downtown hosts its Halloween Festival, according to the schedule.
The adjusted hours line up with two parades on the transit system’s October calendar. The Circleville Pumpkin Show Queen’s Parade is set for 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and the Chillicothe Jaycees’ Halloween Parade is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, the schedule said.
The Downtown Route makes 12 stops: the Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library, Paint and Fourth streets, Fifty West, Lievita, Enderlin Circle, the city pool, the Pump House, Cristy’s Pizza, River’s Bend, the Elks Lodge, the Phoenix Fire House and the Mighty Children’s Museum, according to the transit system. Riders can track the trolley’s location in real time through the Ride Pingo app.
The trolley has been a fixture of downtown Chillicothe since a two-day trial run in July 2021, part of the city’s participation in a Bloomberg Harvard city leadership program. That trial drew more than 700 rides with feedback that was more than 90% positive, prompting the city to purchase the trolley permanently, according to the Chillicothe Transit System. The service remains free to ride and wheelchair accessible.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Chillicothe Transit System.
