MEMPHIS, Tenn. — South Main shop owners said business is bad since the Memphis Area Transit Authority pulled the trolleys off the tracks.
The South Main Association said some business sales are down thirty to forty percent, and some shops are barely hanging on.
MATA said the trolleys need work after the feds blasted them for the lack of repairs, no safety training and failing basic safety guidelines.
MATA refused to give WREG a date on when they’ll be up and running.
All they would say is consultants and engineers are working on the trolleys right now, and then federal and state agents will have to sign off.
They also are having a hard time getting some parts, because the trolleys are up to a 100 years old.
Shop owners said the longer it takes, the worse it will get.
“About two weeks after we opened, the trolleys were pulled off,” said Vera Stanfield who manages Red Velvet Vintage in the heart of the South Main district. “My customers ask a lot: Are the trolleys running or have the trolleys come back yet?”
Two trolleys caught fire in less than a year, so MATA pulled them off the tracks temporarily replacing them with green buses.
The South Main Association said it’s hurting business, because tourists are unable to find the artsy neighborhood.
“Because it’s so tucked away, a little bit, from the rest of downtown, so people would jump on the trolley and ride from the middle of downtown to the little, cool pocket of stuff down here,” said Stanfield.
The Lawlers are visiting from North Alabama and were disappointed there was not any trolleys.
“I saw the tracks, but we have never been on one before,” said they said. “We were surprised coming down the street, and we get up here, and it’s nice.”
Shop owners said if the trolleys aren’t back by next Spring, in time for the peak of tourism season, it won’t be pretty.
The South Main Association said it is working on running more events like Trolley Night on the last Friday of every month and Mimosas on Main every Saturday.