Coral Gables Trolley: free routes, hours, no-service days and the Southern Loop pilot

The City of Coral Gables runs a free trolley and, separately, pays for free Freebee rides. Search results for both mix current pages with old ones, and a regional tourism page we read gives a frequency without saying the Gables trolley is free. We read the City’s trolley page, its Southern Loop pilot page and its Freebee page on October 20, 2026. Here is what each one says.

Days and hours

The City says the trolley “is free Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.” That is 15 hours 30 minutes a day and 93 hours a week, by our arithmetic. There is no fare to pay. The City says the trolley has run since 2003 and averages over 1 million passengers a year. It publishes no timetable or frequency on the trolley page, so for live arrival times it points riders to its Real Time Trolley Tracker and the ETA Transit app.

• The City says the Coral Gables Trolley "is free Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and provides service on two routes, Ponce de Leon and Grand Avenue." City of Coral Gables: Trolley
• The City says the trolley "has been providing a convenient transportation option for residents and visitors since 2003 and averages over 1 million passengers per year." City of Coral Gables: Trolley

The two routes

• Ponce de Leon: “runs north and south on Ponce de Leon Boulevard, from Douglas Metrorail Station to Flagler Street.”
• Grand Avenue: “runs north and south from Douglas Metrorail Station through the historic McFarlane Homestead District.”

The trolley page spells the district McFarlane; the City’s landmarks page calls it the MacFarlane Homestead Historic District, listed in the National Register in 1994. Same place. The City says the trolley connects with Metrorail, Metrobus and the City of Miami Trolley.

• City trolley page: "Ponce de Leon runs north and south on Ponce de Leon Boulevard, from Douglas Metrorail Station to Flagler Street." "Grand Avenue runs north and south from Douglas Metrorail Station through the historic McFarlane Homestead District." City of Coral Gables: Trolley
• The City says the trolley connects with Miami-Dade Metrorail, Metrobus and the City of Miami Trolley, and points riders to a Real Time Trolley Tracker and the ETA Transit app. Trolley contact: Trolley@coralgables.com, 305-460-5070. City of Coral Gables: Trolley

No Sundays, and three holidays

The City’s wording: “The trolley does not run on Sundays, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.” Worked out for the coming year:

• Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26, 2026.
• Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2026.
• Fourth of July: Sunday, July 4, 2027, a Sunday, so no service either way.

New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1, 2027, is not on the City’s list, and the City has posted no 2026 holiday schedule. A Thanksgiving hours notice from 2025 is still online; we do not reuse its times for 2026. If you are counting on the trolley around a holiday, call the City’s trolley line at 305-460-5070 or email Trolley@coralgables.com.

• City trolley page: "The trolley does not run on Sundays, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day." City of Coral Gables: Trolley

Douglas Road Metrorail: the hub

Both regular routes start at the Douglas Road Metrorail Station, and so does the Southern Loop pilot, which makes the station the place to change between County rail and the City’s trolley. We could not read the County’s station pages, so we do not give a station address, parking count or rail fare here. The Lowe Art Museum gives a second rail option for its visitors: University station, then the free University of Miami shuttle or a walk.

• Per the City trolley page, both the Ponce de Leon and Grand Avenue trolley routes start at the Douglas Road (Douglas) Metrorail Station, and the Southern Loop pilot runs from that station to Red Road via Ponce de Leon Blvd. City of Coral Gables: Trolley

The Southern Loop pilot

The City “launched a one-year pilot of a new Southern Loop Trolley route on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.” It is free and runs “from the Douglas Road Metrorail Station to Red Road (SW 57 Ave.) via Ponce de Leon Blvd.,” serving the University of Miami among other stops. The City says it “will monitor ridership and feedback to decide if the route will continue beyond the pilot year.”

A year from launch is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 14 days after we checked. As of October 20, 2026, the City had posted no decision. We make no promise that the Southern Loop runs past its pilot year. A 2023 City news post about a Downtown Express route also still turns up in search; the current trolley page does not mention that route.

• The City "launched a one-year pilot of a new Southern Loop Trolley route on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025", a free route "from the Douglas Road Metrorail Station to Red Road (SW 57 Ave.) via Ponce de Leon Blvd.", serving the University of Miami among other stops. The City says it "will monitor ridership and feedback to decide if the route will continue beyond the pilot year." City of Coral Gables: Southern Loop Trolley Pilot
• The Southern Loop trolley was a one-year pilot from Nov. 3, 2025. The City had not posted (when checked) whether it continues after early November 2026. Check the City's trolley page before relying on it after early November 2026. City of Coral Gables: Southern Loop Trolley Pilot

Freebee: free rides on demand, including Sundays

The City “has partnered with Freebee to offer free door-to-door rides in electric vehicles,” booked in the Ride Freebee app. Riders without a smartphone can call Freebee Dispatch at 855-918-3733. The City’s hours:

• Monday to Thursday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (11 hours).
• Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. (14 hours).
• Sunday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (9 hours).

Freebee “will not operate” on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. So on Sundays, Freebee is the City’s free option, and on Thanksgiving and Christmas neither service runs. On Friday and Saturday nights Freebee keeps going 2 hours after the last trolley hour. The hours are labeled “Effective July 1” with no year. The City says service reaches Santillane Avenue from Douglas Road to Salzedo Street (south of Zamora Avenue it extends to Le Jeune Road), was “also extended to Venetian Pool,” and covers rides around Downtown Coral Gables.

• The City "has partnered with Freebee to offer free door-to-door rides in electric vehicles", requested through the "Ride Freebee" app; riders without a smartphone can call Freebee Dispatch at 855-918-3733. City of Coral Gables: Ride Freebee
• City Freebee page: "Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.", "Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. – 12 a.m.", "Sunday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m." Freebee "will not operate" on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. City of Coral Gables: Ride Freebee
• City Freebee page: service "now extends to Santillane Ave. from Douglas Road to Salzedo St. (south of Zamora Ave., it extends to Le Jeune Road). Service was also extended to Venetian Pool." The page describes it as a ride "around Downtown Coral Gables" and links a service area map. City of Coral Gables: Ride Freebee

Where this helps

If you are driving in, our parking rates guide covers City garages and meters. The pool, which the trolley routes do not name, is in Venetian Pool prices and hours. For the street both routes cross, see our Miracle Mile guide, and things to do for the rest.

Trolley and Freebee questions

Written by the Coral Gables Guide Editorial Team. Some content may be AI-generated. People check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: City of Coral Gables (official site)