Bondes podem voltar a circular em Curitiba. Parana Online, July 3, 2009.

Electric trolleys that plied the streets of Curitiba in the first half of the 20th Century may return to carry passengers in the downtown area. A city project aims to install a new streetcar line from Passeio P?blico to Pra?a Eufr?sio Correia, along Riachuelo, Bar?o do Rio Branco, Conselheiro Laurindo and XV de Novembro Streets.

This urban tourist attraction and cultural nostalgia project was developed by the Curitiba Institute for Urban Research and Planning (IPPUC) and forms part of the downtown revitalization work begun in 2005.

The return of trolleys to the downtown streets will be managed as a public-private partnership. “As with the revitalization of City Hall, the city government will not fund this out of the general budget, which is primarily dedicated to social programs,” said the Deputy Mayor for Special Projects, Maur?cio S? de Ferrante. “The proposal could be a big tourist draw and is environmentally correct, since the trolley is electric. We are currently in discussions with potential sponsors.”

The service to be offered by the Tourist Trolley would not compete with the regular mass transit system. It will allow passengers to get on and off along the way and will have a separate fare. IPPUC’s expectation is that the trolley will be more of a catalyst for economic development in the area, along the axis formed by Bar?o do Rio Branco and Riachuelo Streets.

Tourists approve

In 2007 IPPUC conducted a survey of tourists who had visited the city. They interviewed 1785 people, of whom 95.6% said they would use a tourist trolley. When asked why they would ride, 52.7% of those interviewed said they would use it to explore the city and out of curiosity.

Another 24.7% said they would use it to explore Downtown, get to know the city and see the tourist attractions, and 14.1% would choose the Tourist Trolley for the opportunity to relive the past and for nostalgia. Interviews were conducted in nine locations, such as the airport, bus station and city parks, and with passengers on the Tourist Line.

The planned trolley route can be seen on the map below: