You can call it a shuttle, or a bus.

You can call it a "rubberized trolley."

Call it "A Downtown Circulator Named Desire" if you want, but something with wheels will likely be hauling people free of charge along South Jefferson Street between downtown and Reserve Avenue by the end of next summer.

And it will probably look like a trolley car.

Roanoke City Council gave its blessing to the idea Monday with the hopes that it will link the development-ripe area near Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital to Roanoke's established downtown.

The idea is to give workers along South Jefferson Street a cheap, quick way to get to the market area so they can spend their money there.

City Manager Darlene Burcham was careful to say that the shuttle does not mean that a proposed real streetcar system is off the table. But with the Carilion Clinic building opening in about two years on Jefferson, the city needs to move quickly to get something in place to connect those workers to downtown.

Council members had told Burcham that they wanted something that didn't look like an ordinary bus, so the city is considering buying four buses that look like old-fashioned streetcars. They will be operated by the Greater Roanoke Transit Co. -- Valley Metro.

Such a service has been on the city's agenda since 2001, Burcham said, but it gained momentum after the fall, when she and other city officials visited Rochester, Minn. That city is home to the Mayo Clinic, and city leaders wanted to get a sense of how the proposed Carilion Clinic idea may affect Roanoke. They came home thinking a transportation system to connect the Carilion complex with downtown is a must.

The shuttle would make eight stops, with pickups at each every 10 minutes -- and every five minutes during peak hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Burcham and Valley Metro General Manager David Morgan said it was important that the service be free, because they doubt people will use it if it's not.

Morgan estimated that the system will cost about $283,000 a year to operate, with the city's portion coming to $85,000. The rest will be covered by state grants and, it is hoped, contributions from the private sector.

"We believe the downtown businesses, the major employers and the city should share in that expense," Burcham said.

The city also will probably have to put up $200,000 to $400,000 to match a state or federal grant for the purchase of the vehicles themselves.

Each bus will seat 25 to 30 people, and may also feature video monitors that show notices of area events, Morgan said.

Vice Mayor David Trinkle wondered why the route doesn't include McClanahan Street, where several other Carilion offices are located.

Morgan said that would add five minutes to the trip downtown -- and that could be too long for people to think it useful to ride for a lunch break.

But the route could be changed later, he added.

Trinkle still liked the idea.

"I think this is right on the right track, so to speak," he said.

Councilman Brian Wishneff suggested the buses could be better utilized if they were also a solution to downtown parking issues. They could be a means for downtown workers to avoid paying for downtown parking.

Morgan and Burcham said that would mean adding stops and slowing the shuttle.

Councilman Bev Fitzpatrick agreed.

"I'm not going to go downtown to eat if I can't get there quick," he said.

He suggested regular Valley Metro buses on a similar route could address the parking issues more effectively.

"The one disappointment to me is that everybody has rubber-tire trolleys," Fitzpatrick said. "Roanoke needs to be different, not following and sucking the rear like we always do."

Roanoke will set itself apart, he said, when it gets a real streetcar system.