By Debby Woodin

dwoodin@joplinglobe.com

Trolley service will be the topic of conversation today at a work session scheduled for the Joplin City Council.

“We are going to be looking at the history of the trolley to date,” said Mayor Gary Shaw. “I understand the figures are better than what we anticipated.”

The session is planned for 5:45 p.m. in the council’s conference room on the fifth floor of City Hall, 602 S. Main St.

The city in January asked Joplin residents to fill out a transportation survey aimed at finding out where service is needed and what destinations were desired.

Results of that survey have been compiled, and the council will review the results.

“We’re going to be looking at where we go from here and whether to expand,” Shaw said.

The council in the past has discussed whether to enlarge the current route or add a second route that would take riders to the city’s medical complex area around 32nd Street and McClelland Boulevard.

The survey showed support for a route to the medical area, said Lynn Onstot, the city’s public information officer who compiled the survey results.

The current trolley service runs a loop from downtown to 15th Street and Range Line Road, North Park Crossing and Northpark Mall, Missouri Southern State University, and back every hour.

The trolley, which started in August, averages 1,377 riders a month. Ridership took a dip during the cold months, the numbers show, Onstot said.

Gasoline prices have not decreased trolley service because the city budgeted for an increase in gas prices for operating the trolley when the budget was adopted last October, she said.

The city’s cost for operating the trolley is about $100,900 a year, including gas and insurance. Much of that is being paid by a federal grant.

Shaw said council discussion also may include the Metro Area Publictransit System.