ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times

Paul Workman (from left), Mike Shockley, Jake Lauman, 2, and Joanie Lauman ride a Star Line Trolley along Jefferson Street. The trolleys, which debuted in November, have reached an average daily ridership of 612.

ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times

The Star Line Trolley provides free service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. along South Jefferson Street between the Roanoke City Market and Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Balancing a yellow hard hat on his lap, J.R. Lasley rode a trolley during his lunch break Monday.

He traveled South Jefferson Street from a construction job in downtown Roanoke to visit a friend hospitalized at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Like every other passenger, Lasley rode free.

Drivers for the Star Line Trolley track passenger numbers. Their counts suggest that average daily ridership during the first five months of service has exceeded expectations and increased over time, according to Valley Metro, which operates the system.

The trolley's November launch and its weekday service along a two-mile loop have stirred some measured controversy. For example, critics have questioned whether its contribution to public transit, downtown commerce and support of a link between the city center and Carilion Clinic's operations merits even a comparatively small investment of city taxpayer dollars. They cite tight economic times, painful budget cuts and proposed reductions in regular bus runs.

But the trolleys also have won fans. Their ranks include riders, downtown businesspeople and original backers of the public-private partnership. And the service, funded in large part to date by government grants, has tallied ridership numbers that suggest word of the trolleys is spreading.

Trolley service began Nov. 13, providing free travel along South Jefferson Street between the Roanoke City Market and Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, its nearby rehabilitation center and points in between. The loop includes short stretches of Franklin and Williamson roads downtown.

The trolleys resemble electric streetcars of bygone days and their wood-slatted benches seat about 33. But biodiesel powers these bus cousins and they roll on tires instead of rails. Trolleys run weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and generally hit stops about every 10 minutes, with shorter intervals during lunch hours.

Carl Palmer, Valley Metro's general manager, said early estimates projected about 100 riders a day as service began. But actual average daily ridership was about 339 passengers in November, he said. April daily ridership averaged about 612, he said, an increase of about 80 percent.

The Greater Roanoke Transit Co., managed by Cincinnati-based First Transit, operates Valley Metro. The transit company uses city-owned buses and property to run Valley Metro, although the bulk of its budget comes from federal and state funds. Because revenues generated by Valley Metro's service do not cover expenses, the city subsidizes operations. About $1.2 million is budgeted for that subsidy in fiscal 2010, down from about $1.4 million for the current fiscal year.

Monday morning, Brandy McCulloch, who does not drive, walked over from Southeast Roanoke to catch the trolley along Jefferson Street. Her husband was a patient at Carilion Roanoke Memorial. She is a trolley fan.

"We also rode it when Momma was in the hospital," McCulloch said.

Julie Hawley and Jackie Raines traveled Monday from work at Quality Tire Network on Williamson Road to eat lunch downtown. Hawley said the two ride the route about twice a week and typically patronize a food court vendor at the Roanoke City Market Building.

"Without the trolley, we probably wouldn't eat downtown because we don't like to fight the traffic," she said.

Juniper Healy, founder and now a manager for the Seeds of Light store downtown, said she believes the trolleys have brought more people through the door.

Douglas Waters, interim director for Downtown Roanoke Inc., said the nonprofit believes the Star Line Trolley has increased foot traffic downtown. In addition, he said, the vehicles provide transport for Carilion workers, patients and families, for students at the Jefferson College of Health Sciences, downtown residents and a host of others.

"My general sense is that the trolley system is developing very nicely," Waters said.

Supporters predicted the system would boost development along South Jefferson Street. That has not happened, a reality City Manager Darlene Burcham said might be related as much to the national recession as anything else.

But Waters said he believes the service will appeal to those eyeing properties along the route.

He said he recently talked to developers who inquired about two dormant structures downtown -- the Patrick Henry Hotel and the Heironimus building. He said they liked the idea of trolleys passing by regularly.

Former City Councilman Bev Fitzpatrick, now executive director of the Virginia Museum of Transportation, has long said that rail-riding streetcars provide a better sense of permanence for prospective developers.

Although he said he hopes the city will someday embrace such streetcars, Fitzpatrick said the wheeled trolleys provide a vital connection between downtown and the burgeoning medical complex at Jefferson Street and Reserve Avenue.

The city matched government grants to help raise the $1 million required to buy the four red and beige trolleys. In November, the city said local taxpayers' portion was about $200,000.

Together, the city and partners Carilion and DRI cover about $85,000 of annual operating costs, which will likely total about $285,000 in fiscal 2010. The city and Downtown Roanoke Inc. each pays about $20,000, with Carilion Foundation footing the remaining $45,000. Grants cover the balance.

Mark Whittl, a Roanoke County resident who works downtown, has been a trolley skeptic from the start.

"In my opinion, it still seems to be more of a perk for Carilion employees than anything else," Whittl said. He refers to the trolleys as the "Carilion lunch bus."

He's seen no evidence of development predicted along the corridor. "I just see the whole thing as a waste of taxpayer dollars."

In an e-mail, Dr. Ed Murphy, Carilion Clinic's president and CEO, said the company is "pleased with the trolleys' progress" and believes ridership will continue to grow.

"When the outpatient facility, medical school and research institute are complete at the Jefferson Street-Reserve Avenue intersection, we will have nearly 500 employees with an average salary of $100,000 with the potential to travel downtown," Murphy wrote.

In addition, he said, the trolley helps ease the parking crunch downtown.

Over time, grant funding sources could break down. If that happens, Burcham said, additional partners might need to contribute to keep the Star Line rolling.

For now, Burcham is a believer.

"In my opinion, the city, DRI and Carilion are getting a bargain," she said.

News researcher Belinda Harris contributed to this report.