My comments are regarding the 2 Harbor Trolley lines that operate during the Summer in the Spring Lake/Ferrysburg/Fruitport/Grand Haven area. The way it is set up is that there are two trolley loops that operate. One on each side of the bridge, but both lines do pick-up and drop off at the Spring Lake Holiday Inn parking lot. So you can transfer there to continue your commute from one side of the bridge to the other. The trolleys cover popular places on each side of the bridge SL loop called Laker stops at North Ottawa Beach, North Ottawa Pier, Coast Guard Park, A La Mode Ice Cream and Pamona Park. The GH loop called Bucaneer stops at Grand Haven State Park and the City Beach. There is no cost to the riders. The service runs all day and into the evening. Now on paper this all looks great. You can get from Fruitport to Grand Haven beaches and it is free. Here's the downside....it is not commuter friendly. There is no timetable, no schedule and no driver accountability. This is a tax payer/government funded agency. Non-profit. Here is my story: My group is in Fruitport and decide we want to visit the GH beach. Someone suggests we take the trolleys. We head over to Pamona Park. We ask someone there how often the trolley comes by. We're told about every hour. We then asked did you see it when it last came by? She says it was there about 45 minutes ago when she arrived at the park. So we thought we'd only have to wait 15 minutes. Unfortunately we had to wait 40 minutes. When we were seated in the air conditioned vehicle I asked the driver how long a loop takes, he says the SL route is about an hour. When I told him we thought we were there more than an hour, he explained he "took a break." I also asked is there any timetable, he casually explained...."no, it's just when we get the loop completed. Sometimes we take a break and sometimes we break off the loop, so times vary. Okay, I'm used to public transportation in Chicago, GR and Detroit where drivers do their best to stick to a timetable. Not here apparently. From the park to A La Mode, the ride was probably 10 minutes. I then asked when we will be at Holiday Inn so we could transfer to the other trolley. He said probably 30 minutes. It was at that point we decided to walk to Holiday Inn instead. It took us about 12 minutes or so to hike over the SL bridge and wait for the Grand Haven trolley. Half hour later a trolley finally shows up. Only thing....it was the trolley we were on 30 minutes ago! We talked to our driver and he said "Grand Haven should be there shortly." Another 20 minutes goes by and the GH trolley finally shows up. We ride it into Grand Haven, it stops at the State Park and then our destination the city beach. Total travel and wait time: 2 hours! We took an Uber back. read more

Harbor Trolley System - Public Transportation Near Me - Grand Haven, Michigan

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Well , two years in a row- no trolley. Very poor information via phone or website and I am soooo disappointed. We made a special trip out here because it looked like it was operational this year read more

We were staying in Holland and decided to drive up to Grand Haven for the day. I was hoping to find something that would entertain my little boy and stumbled upon this. It was perfect! He's in love with trolleys and trucks and trains. We parked at the Chinook Pier and saw the train. Then we hopped on the trolley. It picked us up right by the little ice cream window in that strip mall. But apparently it will pick you up anywhere along its route if you just flag it down. All tickets are under $2, so this is a super affordable activity. I think the whole ride around town was only about 20 minutes. And I think I you're welcome to ride it around more than once. Our guide/driver was the most soft spoken and funny guy. We really enjoyed hearing him speak about the history of the town and little details you'd only know as a local. I'm sure we'll be visiting Michigan again next summer and we'd gladly do this again! read more

Harbor Trolley System - Public Transportation Near Me - Grand Haven, Michigan

We rode this in Grand Haven and cost us less than $8 for a family of four. The mini tour was cute. It took us from the lighthouse to town. We enjoyed the slow ride. It helped our younger kids to relax some. Thank you for providing this! read more

Harbor Trolley System - Full house - Public Transportation Near Me - Grand Haven, Michigan

If I could give a 0 star review I would. To start - It was nearly impossible to get in contact with the Harbor Trolley. After leaving 2 voicemails - I finally called the parent company (the Harbor Transit) and talked to everyone on every extension until someone put me in contact with Tiffany with the Trolley. She seemed less than enthused with work with us - but we were excited to finally have found a Trolley to ride! My husband and I booked the Harbor Trolley to take us and our bridal party from our ceremony to reception. After the ceremony, our family and friends left to the cocktail hour while we took photos. The Harbor Trolley was schedule to arrive at 4:30 (which they confirmed with us via email 2 days prior), but it did not show. Again, no one answered when I called the direct line to the Harbor Trolley. Luckily, Tiffany had her personal phone number on her email signature. After a few repeated phone calls, she finally answered. She did not seem to care that my husband and I, along with our whole bridal party were stranded while our guests were waiting at the reception to eat. She informed us that there had been a "miscommunication" but that they were on it. Our wedding coordinator, Connie from Blue Skies Wedding Planning, was all over it. Tiffany would not provide a straight answer, and after many attempts at calling her, would only text Connie rather than speak with her on the phone. Finally, Tiffany confirmed that the Trolley was on its way. Unfortunately, the Trolley then broke down on the side of the road and did not make it to us at the church. Connie had cars sent to pick us up - after we had waited for over an hour for our original ride. We made it to our reception and it was a perfect night - no thanks to Harbor Trolley. Tiffany emailed me a few days later apologizing for the Trolley breaking down and informing us that a refund check was in the mail. The email was short, and she again seemed less than sincere. I absolutely understand that things happen, and Trolleys can break down - but this issue started way before it broke down on the side of US-31. Harbor Trolley was impossible to coordinate with and any communications we had could barely be considered better than rude. I am not sure what the "miscommunication" was - but we had payed them, and had multiple emails confirming the reservation (including from a few days prior), so I can guarentee it was not on our end. The Harbor Trolley might be great for touring Grand Haven - but DO NOT book them for a private event. All you will get is poor service and a trolley that does not show up. While I am happy to have received a refund check for the money we wasted - I am upset about all the time we lost on our wedding day and I am still wondering if I can send the Harbor Trolley a bill for the snacks and drinks we had purchased for our ride (and the money we spent downtown Holland waiting for our GUESTS to come pick us up and finally bring us to the reception). read more

Trolley fare is 75 cents for 60 years and older. Same price for under 18. In between is $1.50. Kids under 2 are free. Driver was entertaining - a little morbid, but otherwise good. Lots of puns. Worth riding once. It really is a tour as opposed to something you would use to get around Grand Haven. read more

This is one of my favorite things to do in Grand Haven. My son (and father-in-law for that matter) also love it. The trolley (it's free!!!) goes from downtown, along the beach/state park, up into the historic neighborhoods, and back. Somehow whenever I ride it, I get the bad pun-telling driver. He cracks me up. Maybe they all do the same routine, but I swear it's the same kid. The bus has huge, open windows and a portion on the back where you can stand up outside, you know, like the kids on the Polar Express--whatever that's called. It's a fun ride and a great way to either see the town and learn a little history (the Sears & Roebuck houses are interesting) or get to the beach. Lots of fun for kids and those who just enjoy a nice ride. read more

Question: What do you get when you cross fast and furious with willy wonka and the chocolate factory? Answer: the Harbor Trolley System. I embarked on what I thought was going to be a quick and efficient mode of eco-friendly transport; was I ever wrong. I was subjected to unspeakable and heinous acts of micro-aggression. Everyone on board was a mouth breathing fat sack of lard. What is it about Americans, Especially Grand Haveners, that causes them to swell to such massive size? My best guess is that it can only be all the garbage and dirty water that is present in the area. Anyways, back to the trolley. So there I was, on a sweltering 19 C day, sitting on a WOODEN bench which apparently passes for a seat on this trolley (pathetic), when suddenly two cows climbed aboard the trolley. As it turns out, they were not cows; they were human beings. I was shocked and appalled by what I saw. "How can the trolley stand the weight?" I asked myself, but the trolley carried on, spewing its noxious greenhouse fumes all over the place; I could feel my throat tightening. The cows stampeded all over the trolley, complaining loudly in their primitive midwest accents about a lack of seat. I prayed they would not notice the open seats next to me. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky. They soon realized that I looked minimally comfortably, and they wrongfully decided that they could somehow fit their hulking frames into a space no larger than midsized hybrid. They asked me to move over, a request which I refused. I tried explaining to them that they were too fat to fit, this only made them angry. The two sat on either side of me, crushing me between their overwhelming body weight -- I gasped for air. Meanwhile, the trolley sped along at breakneck speeds with the conductor (driver? it's a car for crying out loud.) spewing forth ticky tac facts and puns. If Hell were a real place (which it is not you silly fundies), the Harbor Trolley System is the delivery vehicle. Speaking as a masochist, I enjoyed that horrible experience. If you are a normal and sane human being, however, avoid the trolley at all costs. You have been warned. read more

If I could rate this place a zero I would!! I've come from California to visit my parents and I've gone once on the trolley two years back and which I enjoyed as I could remember. This time around I have not only a 7 year old but a NEWBORN and we had waited about ONE HOUR ON A DAMN HOT HUMID DAY. Finally the wait was over we all assumed this female driver for the trolley pulls up and says she " informed the ice cream workers" that they are not doing anymore rides for the day due to short staff because the " other worker had called out" so when I had asked the female blonde driver on the truck for the number to complain she laughed and insisted that I was basically lying for waiting for about an hour! Maybe have the workers learn not to argue back with customers. read more

It's a unique way to get where you want to go or just become a bit more familiar with the area. A lot of fun and inexpensive. It's a perfect thing to do on a nice summer or autumn day! There are stupid along the way where either the driver or sometimes a sort of guide will give you facts and folklore about the city. It's great! read more