October 28, 2025

Background/Overview

In 2022, Council approved the purchase of two trolleys to be used for a Downtown Cary Loop service. These trolleys were envisioned to address perceived parking concerns and to provide a fun and unique mobility experience. Because the Town intended to operate the trolleys as part of its federally-funded transit system, the trolleys needed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for vehicles and passenger facilities. Upon delivery, staff determined that the trolleys failed to meet expectations and immediately began evaluating options to secure replacement vehicles that met our standards while warehousing the trolleys in a secure and protective facility. This pushed the start of the Downtown Loop service from Fall 2023 to Spring 2024, when it was added to the GoCary schedule using standard GoCary buses. The trolleys were sold in Summer 2025.

Financials

Total Purchase Price, including delivery: $539,896.00

Depreciated value based on federal guidelines, as of July 2025: $314,397.60

Sale Price in July 2025: $300,000.00

Cost to Ship to Redding, CA: $19,500.00

Timeline of Events

Fall 2022

• Council authorizes the purchase of two trolleys at the November Quarterly meeting.
  November Quarterly Meeting minutes

Winter 2023

• Cary advertises a Request for Bids (RFB) for the purchase of two trolleys. This RFB includes federal clauses, two of which address “Access Requirements for Persons with Disabilities” according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and “Bus Testing."
  
  
• Cary enters into an agreement with Specialty Vehicles as the broker to purchase two carriage-style trolleys manufactured by Hometown Manufacturing.
  Specialty Vehicles RFB Response

Summer 2023

• Trolleys are delivered and tested for final programming.  During testing, staff determined the trolleys did not meet ADA standards for the provision of public transit. The length of the space allocated for mobility devices fell two inches short of the federal requirement and one of the spaces was located on a significant slope, requiring a wheelchair passenger to ride in a forward-pitching position.
  
  
• Staff communicated with authorities at the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regarding this concern, receiving a response from the Office of Civil Rights that the floor area and wheelchair securement locations must be readily accessible or usable by wheelchair users.  ADA regulations do not require ancillary equipment such as brakes or wheel locks which would make securement on a slope problematic. Usability may also be impacted by the ability or inability of a passenger to remain upright while occupying a sloped space.
  
  
• Staff notified Specialty Vehicles (broker) and Hometown Manufacturing (manufacturer) of these concerns and associated communication with the FTA.
  
  
• The project page was removed from the Town’s website at this time while we worked toward a resolution.

Fall 2023 – Spring 2025

• Specialty Vehicles initially agreed that returning the trolleys in exchange for a different model that meets ADA and Bus Testing requirements was acceptable.  As staff worked to finalize the details of this transaction, Specialty Vehicles eventually became unresponsive.

• It was also discovered during this time that another transit agency had placed an order for ten of the same carriage-style trolleys from the same vendor.  After Cary staff contacted the transit agency to alert the agency of our concerns and experience, the transit agency refused delivery of their first trolley and placed the remainder of their order on hold until the concerns could be addressed.

• In the meantime, Cary’s trolleys were warehoused for protection.

Spring 2025

• A representative from Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA) in Redding, CA contacted staff with an interest in purchasing the trolleys. The representative visited Cary to view the trolleys in person and Cary staff informed them of the ADA concerns. RABA made an offer of $300,000.00 to purchase the two trolleys, with Cary covering the cost to ship the trolleys to California for $19,500.
  
  
• Council approved a resolution to sell the trolleys to RABA at the May 2025 Quarterly Meeting.

Summer 2025

• Staff finalized a sale agreement with RABA that disclosed Cary’s concern that the vehicles do not meet federal standards for accessibility. The two trolleys were shipped to Redding, CA and Cary received payment on July 28, 2025.
  RABA Sale Agreement

Contact

If you have specific questions about Town services, visit carync.gov/311, dial 311 anywhere in Cary, (919) 469-4000 outside Town limits, or email 311@carync.gov.