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That’s a wrap! The 2025 Pensacola Beach Island Trolley season has officially come to a close following Labor Day. A huge thank you to everyone who hopped on board and enjoyed the ride this summer—we loved seeing you!

The free trolleys will return next year, running May 22 – September 7, 2026, from 4 PM to midnight daily. Until then, we’ll see you on the beach!

Santa Rosa Island Authority to extend hours and increase public trolley services for the 2025 Pensacola Beach Air Show

PENSACOLA, Fla. (June 26, 2025) — The Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) is extending public transportation hours along the island on Friday, July 11, and is adding extra buses to the schedule on Saturday, July 12, for the Pensacola Beach Air Show.

On Friday, July 11, the SRIA’s three, free open-air trolleys will begin transporting customers starting at 7:30 a.m. and extend their service to Park East, located a mile east of Portofino Resort, until 6 p.m. Following that, the regular route will resume until midnight.

On Saturday, July 12, starting at 6:30 a.m., the SRIA will have four buses in addition to the three open-air trolleys running and will extend their service area to Park East until 6 p.m. Following that, the three open-air trolleys will resume normal operations until midnight.

On Friday and Saturday, buses and trolleys will service passengers from Park East and Park West to show center at Casino Beach throughout the day. Passengers will only be picked up and dropped off at designated trolley stops. All trolley stops will be designated with a bright Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) – branded feather flag so passengers can spot each stop.

Post air show, trolleys servicing Portofino Resort/Park East will be staged on Via de Luna in front of Sideline’s Sports Bar and the Hampton Inn (facing east). Trolleys servicing Park West will be staged on Fort Pickens Rd. in front of the Surf & Sand Hotel and The Sandshaker (facing west).

Due to extreme traffic and congestion buildup on Friday and Saturday, trolley service to the access road stops (The Grand Marlin, Radical Rides/Laguna’s, Quietwater Beach, and the Boardwalk) will be temporarily suspended until 6 p.m. Following that, the regular route will resume until midnight.

Passengers who wish to get back to their vehicles as soon as the air show ends need to be on the first fleet of buses post show. Due to the gridlock that occurs immediately following the air show, riders should expect a long wait for the trolleys or buses to return to the core, if they are not on the first trip out.

The SRIA also wants to remind the public to please use the designated pedestrian crosswalks only across the island.

The official 2025 Pensacola Beach Air Show will begin just before noon on Saturday. The free trolley and bus service is provided by the Santa Rosa Island Authority and ECAT handles the expert driving.

The Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) will launch their free, open-air trolley service along Pensacola Beach in 2024 beginning Friday, May 24th of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Monday, September 2. The Pensacola Beach Island Trolley is operated by Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) and runs daily from 4 p.m. to midnight.

Free Pensacola Beach Trolley Returns to Regular Summer Schedule Beginning This Friday

May 22 – September 7, 2026

4 pm to Midnight

PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. (May 19, 2026) — The Santa Rosa Island Authority’s (SRIA) free Pensacola Beach Island Trolley service will return to its regular summer operating schedule beginning Friday, May 22, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

The trolley will run daily from 4 p.m. to midnight through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, providing residents and visitors with a convenient, stress-free way to travel around Pensacola Beach without the hassle of traffic and parking.

The Pensacola Beach Island Trolley is free to ride and services key destinations across the island, including Casino Beach, Quietwater Beach Boardwalk, Park West, and Portofino Island Resort.

During the summer season, three trolleys will operate simultaneously on three routes:

East Route: Travels from Casino Beach to Portofino Island Resort.
West Route: Travels from Casino Beach to Park West near the entrance to Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Core Route: Travels from Casino Beach through the Pensacola Beach commercial district, including stops along the Boardwalk and the inner access road.

“The free trolley is one of the most popular amenities we offer each summer,” said Mike Burns, Executive Director of the SRIA. “It gives both visitors and locals an easy, safe and enjoyable way to experience everything Pensacola Beach has to offer without the hassle of finding a parking space.”

The Pensacola Beach Island Trolley is operated by Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) through a partnership with the SRIA.

The trolleys help alleviate traffic congestion by allowing visitors to park anywhere and have a convenient way to tour the whole island.

Three trolleys will operate concurrently, running three routes. The eastern route runs from Casino Beach to Portofino, the western route runs from Casino Beach to Park West near the entrance gate to Gulf Islands National Seashore, and the commercial core route runs from Casino Beach to Grand Marlin with stops occurring along the new access road and at Pensacola Beach Boardwalk.

The trolley system, funded by the SRIA, is free to all riders. To view the live trolley tracker and routes, zoom in on the map below.

Santa Rosa Island Authority to extend hours and increase public trolley services for the 2023 Pensacola Beach Air Show

PENSACOLA, Fla. (June 23, 2023) — To help alleviate traffic congestion for the Pensacola Beach Air Show, the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) is extending public transportation hours along the island on Friday, July 7, and is adding extra buses to the schedule on Saturday, July 8.

On Friday, July 7, the SRIA’s three, free open-air trolleys will begin transporting customers starting at 7:30 a.m. and extend their service to Park East, located a mile east of Portofino Resort, until 6 p.m. Following that, the regular route will resume until midnight.

On Saturday, July 8, starting at 6:30 a.m., the SRIA will have four buses in addition to the three open-air trolleys running and will extend their service area to Park East until 6 p.m. Following that, the three open-air trolleys will resume normal operations until midnight.

On Friday and Saturday, buses and trolleys will service passengers from Park East and Park West to Casino Beach throughout the day. Post-show, trolleys servicing Portofino Resort/Park East will be staged on Via de Luna directly across from Santa Rosa Island Authority (facing east). Trolleys servicing Park West will be staged on Ft. Pickens Rd. adjacent to The Sandshaker (facing west).

Due to extreme traffic and congestion buildup on Friday and Saturday, trolley service to the access road stops (Grand Marlin, Radical Rides/Laguna’s, Quietwater Beach, and the Boardwalk) will be temporarily suspended until 6 p.m.

The SRIA wants to remind all passengers that they will only be picked up and dropped off at designated trolley stops.

Passengers who wish to get back to their vehicles as soon as the air show ends need to be on the first fleet of buses leaving Casino Beach post-show. Due to the gridlock that occurs immediately following the air show, riders should expect to wait as long as 90 minutes for the trolleys or buses to return to Casino Beach if they are not on the first trip out.

The official 2023 Pensacola Beach Air Show will begin at approximately 11 a.m. Saturday. The free trolley and bus service is provided by the Santa Rosa Island Authority and Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT) handles the expert driving.