A hop-on/hop-off trolley that will visit wineries close to Jacksonville will soon give visitors another way to experience the tastes and learn the stories of the area’s grape-growing operations.

“We have taken possession of the trolley. My hope is that we can get it up and running by the end of July,” said Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce President Brian Dunn. Tasks that remain before startup include marketing, branding, promotion and creation of a ticketing system on the chamber’s website.

The trolley will operate on a hub-and-spoke system, visiting each of seven outlying wineries every 90 minutes during operating hours. The wineries are members of the Wineries of Jacksonville alliance, which is collaborating with the chamber on the venture.

“It’s a really efficient way to shuttle people who are downtown out and back,” said Dunn. The trolley will be at its starting point, the chamber’s Visitor Information Center, 185 N. Oregon St., every 30 minutes.

Research by the chamber shows the service will be unique in the Pacific Northwest if not the entire West Coast, said Dunn. Only one other hop-on/hop-off service was discovered — in California — and it covered only a few stops.

Last year, Wine Spectator magazine declared the Rogue Valley one of five upcoming wine regions, said Meghann Walk, general manager of Hummingbird Estate, a member of the alliance.

“We are at a pivotal moment when the Rogue Valley is set to gain national and international attention. The wineries of Jacksonville are trying to think about how we can work together to make (them) a destination,” said Walk. She says the alliance hopes the trolley will help turn the region into a wine destination and also assist some of the newer local wineries.

Tickets for the wine trolley will be $25 per person and can be purchased either online or in-person at the visitor center. Hours of operation will be from noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays until the end of October. The trolley can carry 28 seated passengers and another 12 standing.

Wineries on the Old Stage Road spoke include Rellik and Hummingbird Estate. The route that uses Highway 238 northeast of town will visit Daisy Creek Vineyard and Awen Winecraft. The South Stage Road route takes in Dos Mariposas Vineyard, DANCIN Vineyards and Parkhurst Wine Cellars.

While running the routes in town, operators will call attention to the Anchor Valley Wine, South Stage Cellars and Remotion Wine locations, although they will not stop at them.

A $20,000 grant from Travel Oregon’s Wine Country License Plate Grant program was added to a $17,000 grant from the city’s Transient Lodging Tax Grant program, and $10,000 in chamber funds for the venture. The vehicle purchase price was $40,000, while another $7,000 will be spent on associated work.

The used 1990 trolley was purchased from All Aboard Trolley of Medford. It is known as the “holly trolley” because of its green and red paint job. After this season concludes, the chamber plans to repaint the vehicle with colors and designs that incorporate the marketing and branding themes.

The chamber is familiar with trolley operations, having run historic tours on them for nearly two decades and more recently shuttling passengers to the Britt Music & Arts Festival. The current trolley is owned by the city and leased to the chamber.

The visitor center already serves as the starting point for the historic tours it runs Fridays through Mondays in May and October and daily June through September.

Trolley drivers will be the same as those used by the chamber for the historic tours and the Britt shuttle. The drivers will relate the history of the town and information about the area’s wine industry during the runs.

“We are hoping to integrate a narrative that will give riders a sense of the history of the space and the unique qualities of this region that make it an excellent place to grow wine,” said Walk.

Most of the profit from the wine trolley will be turned back into marketing of the service, said Dunn. Conservative estimates show the service will be a revenue generator through sponsorships and promotions in addition to ticket sales. The new machine could also be used for special events, such as weddings or business gatherings, which have been a source of revenue with the current trolley.

Under a joint agreement between the chamber and the wineries alliance, the participating wineries contribute an annual fee for the wine trolley service. But this fee is expected to cover annual expenses to place and replace trolley stop signs, flyers and other marketing materials at each winery at the beginning of each season. After this year’s trial run, plans call for beginning the service next year in May.

“It’s a really good plan to connect the wineries on the periphery with the downtown businesses,” said Dunn.