DNR Energy Manager Paula Ridgeway and Dan Deaton with the US Department of Energy smile and give approvals after first inspections!

All aboard! The first passengers climb aboard one of the new trolley cars for destinations in downtown Baton Rouge.

Downtown employees and visitors--- hop on board the new downtown trolley! Ride one of the brightly-colored trolley cars to a number of locations in and around the Capitol Park Complex and do so with cleaner burning fuel in the tank, says Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Energy Manager Paula Ridgeway.

Several key officials responsible for bringing the trolley service to Baton Rouge attended a press conference and ribbon cutting ceremony held Monday, Oct. 27th at North Boulevard Town Square including Davis Rhorer (Downtown Development District Director), Mark Drennen (Commissioner of Administration), Mayor-President Bobby Simpson and Dan Deaton (U.S. Department of Energy).

The trolley service began Tuesday, Oct. 28th and will be operated by the Capitol Area Transportation (CTC) service. The fleet was purchased from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Agency and will run on compressed natural gas. One bus holds about 30 passengers. The street-style buses were purchased utilizing Congestion, Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) federal funds with matching funds from the state.

According to Ridgeway, steady progress is being made locally through the Clean Cities initiatives that promote the use of alternate fuels and vehicles for a better environment.