MUSKEGON, MI – A second open-air tram has been acquired by the city of Muskegon with the belief that the new convention center and the return of cruise ships will underscore the need for easy transit around town.
The city was gifted the 18-seat Shoreline Tram by Ramos Auto Body to relieve that company of $12,000 in annual insurance costs. The city did not pay anything for the tram, the second one it now owns.
“There are all kinds of possibilities to use it,” Muskegon City Clerk Ann Meisch told MLive.
She said discussions will take place this winter on how to fully utilize the trams during the busy tourist season, especially “when the conventions are here.”
Ramos will continue operating the trams – including paying drivers and maintenance costs – as part of its service to the community.
The trams have been used to provide free rides to residents of local apartment buildings to the farmers market, help move people around downtown during festivals and to alleviate parking congestion at Pere Marquette beach.
“It’s our way of giving back,” said Mary Beth Ramos, who oversees sales and marketing for Ramos Auto Body. “We give back to our community because we believe in it and we love it.”
The trams likely will get more use when cruise ships – which ceased operations during COVID – return to port at Heritage Landing and when the new VanDyk Mortgage Convention Center hits full-stride after also being impacted by the pandemic, Ramos said.
Related: Tram transport service aims to relieve parking woes at Pere Marquette beach in Muskegon
But how widely they are used could depend on financial support from local companies, which also can rent or hire the vehicles, she said.
“It isn’t like a lot of them have stepped up,” Ramos said, naming Nexes Realty as a valued sponsor.
Business support also is needed for the 20-seat bus, which Ramos also owns and operates, that provided free rides from the downtown to the beach this past summer, Ramos said. That Shoreline Shuttle didn’t get much use when it offered free Saturday rides from the Delta by Marriott hotel to Pere Marquette with stops in the Lakeside business district, she said.
The service was suggested by the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, which provided $6,000 to offset insurance costs for the shuttle, she said.
The open-air tram likely is more inviting to people who want to hop on, but its slow speeds make it impractical for trips to the beach from downtown, Ramos said. It was used only once for that purpose this past summer and the driver was unnerved by honking motorists, she said.
Those who want to help support operations of the city’s trams or Ramos’ shuttle, or who want to rent them for special events, can contact Ramos at marybeth@ramosautobody.com.
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