By GINNY COOPER / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA—The highly anticipated Columbiana trolley will begin its route Tuesday, April 1.

The trolley will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The current trolley routes include high-volume areas in town such as the Columbiana Clinic, local apartment complexes, Piggly Wiggly and several locations on Main Street.

However, this route is not set in stone and will change according to the needs of the community, Columbiana Mayor Stancil Handley said.

“As we run it, I’m sure we’ll find out we need to make changes. If we find a change we need to make and it’s for the good of the city, we’ll do that,” Handley said.

The purpose of the trolley is two-fold, Handley said.

“We do have people in Columbiana who do not have transportation, and this is a mode of transportation for those people. It’s also another project where we can work together as a community to make it successful,” Handley said.

Community involvement is key to the project, as the trolley will be manned entirely by volunteer drivers. Each driver will take one shift a week, Handley said, and must have a commercial driver’s license with a passenger endorsement.

For those who are interested in driving the trolley that do not meet this qualification, the city is working to provide CDL training locally this summer.

“We just want the community to respond and enjoy this,” Handley said.

Anyone interested in volunteering to drive the trolley should contact Handley at (205) 669-5804.