The new Sunshine Trolley that will be on Medicine Hat streets this spring and summer. (Photo Courtesy Ross Lavigne)

By Chris Brown

Second Sunshine Trolley in Medicine Hat to keep up with high tour demand

Mar 31, 2023 | 3:39 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Tourism Medicine Hat has added a second Sunshine Trolley to its fleet.

The first trolley hit the Medicine Hat streets in 2019 as a way to connect residents and visitors to the major tourist locations in the city like the Saamis Tepee, the downtown core and Medalta.

Between the public and private tours that can be booked, one trolley was no longer enough.

“We see hundreds if not thousands during our summer tours and the big surprise for us I think every year is the private tours – school tours, brewery tours, birthday parties, weddings all those things,” says Mo Cranker, project coordinator with Tourism Medicine Hat.

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“Every year there’s been so much demand and we’ve been saying no to people because we haven’t had the capacity to have two and now we have two and we hope to be saying yes more often.”

After an exhaustive search, the new trolley was purchased from a vintage vehicle collector in Newfoundland last summer. After a deal was struck two drivers flew out and drove the new ride to Medicine Hat.

It’s a 2008 Supreme trolley with a diesel engine that will seat 26 passengers plus the driver. It has a wheelchair lift and space for two wheelchairs, as well as heat, air conditioning and a bike rack.

Both trolleys are ready to roll after winter maintenance and safety inspections.

All private tours can be booked now through Tourism Medicine Hat. Cranker says school classroom tours are popular in the spring and they are already running out of spots. The public loop tours will start around Canada Day.

The new trolley cost $68,000 and was paid for with money Tourism Medicine Hat has put into a community investment fund for the past few years.