Pierce Transit officials announced Wednesday a pilot project offering trolley service in Gig Harbor this summer has exceeded performance expectations.

According to a Pierce Transit spokesperson, since trolley service began on July 9, route productivity numbers have been stronger than expected and daily boardings are well above the target minimum performance. Specifically, passengers per service hour numbers rose from 18.60 in week one (5 service days), to 23.17 in week two (7 service days), exceeding the target of 15 passengers per service hour. Passengers per revenue mile increased from 1.4 in week one to 1.8 in week two, exceeding the target of 1.3 passengers per revenue mile. Similarly, the trolley had 2,089 boardings in its first week of service and 3,493 boardings in its second week of service for a total of 5,582 boardings. Daily boardings hit a high of 1,186 on July 20.

The Gig Harbor trolley will run through September 28, carrying passengers from downtown Gig Harbor to Uptown every 30 minutes. The service is a joint effort between Pierce Transit and the Gig Harbor Community Investment Team designed to promote the use of public transit among riders and alleviate congestion and parking concerns during Gig Harbor’s busy summer season. Stakeholders will review the route productivity at the end of the project to evaluate whether the seasonal service will be offered in the future.