Has anyone ridden the trolley these past few weeks as part of the “Holiday Express Trolley” service? We did a big push last year to get ridership up, and the city, UTMB, Strand merchants and others brought the promotion back again this year. I like the trolley; I like to see it clanging its way up Market, letting loose a whistle in front of John Sealy. Maybe it takes me back to my Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood days. Do I ride it? Not often. Usually it takes too long to get me anyplace, or, as is the case now, when they run the trolleys hard, they seem to break down. In their place, Island Transit is running its “rubber wheel trolleys,” a cute name for a bus dressed up to look like something old, not unlike the shuttles you seen running around downtown Austin and the San Antonio Riverwalk. The bus-trolleys are probably a quicker and smoother ride to the Strand, so if you want to get a group down there for lunch or to do a little shopping, this is the last week of the special holiday promotion. Check out the special offers if you get one of the “doubloons” the trolley/bus drivers are handing out.