The two questions we get about the Scottsdale trolley are “is it free?” and “does it go to my hotel?” The answers are yes and almost certainly not. The trolley started in 1987 as a tourist circulator, and plenty of hotel cards and travel guides still describe a frequent Old Town loop. That loop was suspended in March 2020 and did not come back when the rest of the system returned that August. Today the trolley is a free weekday commuter service that mostly carries residents. Here’s what it actually does, and how to get around Old Town without it.
Is the trolley free?
Yes. Every route, every day it runs, no fare, no pass, no app required to board. You wave, the trolley stops at a marked stop, you get on. The Valley Metro buses that cross Scottsdale charge regular regional fares; the trolley never has.
What it looks like
The vehicles are buses styled as old-fashioned streetcars, green and brass and wood-look trim, with open windows in the cooler months. They are wheelchair accessible and carry bike racks. Stops are marked with a trolley sign, and the Valley Metro app tracks the vehicles live.
Where it goes
As of the city’s trolley page (last updated May 29, 2026) there are three routes, and none of them is a downtown loop.
- 68th/Camelback runs between Scottsdale Community College and the Granite Reef Senior Center by way of the Camelback and south Scottsdale corridors, skirting the edges of Old Town. It carries the most riders. Through December 2026 it is detoured for the Roosevelt storm drain project.
- Miller/Hayden runs from Granite Reef north through the neighborhoods to the Mustang Transit Center near Shea Boulevard and the 101.
- Mustang continues north from the Mustang Transit Center toward HonorHealth Shea and the Airpark.
All three run Monday through Friday, 5:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., every 20 minutes. There is no weekend service, and no service on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Routes have changed several times since 2018, so check the city’s trolley page before you build a day around it.
What happened to the Old Town loop
Until 2020 an Old Town route circulated through the downtown districts every fifteen minutes or so. A 2018 reroute pulled it out of Fashion Square and off Fifth Avenue, and by late 2019 it carried only about a tenth of trolley trips; a city survey that year found 88 percent of riders were residents and 3 percent were visitors. When service resumed on August 3, 2020, the city kept the Old Town route suspended “until further notice,” and it has not returned. Our lexicon entry on the trolley has the full history, back to the 1987 Molly Trolley.
What it’s good for
- Weekday trips between south Scottsdale, the Camelback corridor, Scottsdale Community College and the senior and community centers along the routes.
- Reaching the Mustang Transit Center and the Shea corridor without a car on a weekday.
- Connecting to nine regional Valley Metro bus routes, which charge fares.
Getting around Old Town without it
Old Town is compact. The Fifth Avenue shops, the Main Street galleries, the Civic Center, the Brown Avenue Western blocks, the Waterfront and Scottsdale Fashion Square sit within about a mile of each other, and in the cooler months walking is the best way to see them. Park once in a free city garage and go on foot. After the ArtWalk wine or a nightlife evening, use a rideshare. From a Camelback-corridor hotel, the 68th/Camelback trolley can work on a weekday; otherwise a short rideshare beats it.
What it isn’t
It is not the way to reach anything north of Camelback Road worth mentioning. The Preserve, the North Scottsdale resorts, Taliesin West, the golf courses and Kierland are all out of range, and the trolley does not serve the airport. For those you want a car or a rideshare, and our getting around guide explains why the car usually wins.
The two other ways to move without a car
Valley Metro buses. The regional bus system runs real routes through Scottsdale, including the north-south line along Scottsdale Road that connects to the light rail in Tempe. Fares apply. It works, it’s slow, and it’s the only transit link between Scottsdale and the rail system, which does not enter the city.
The Greenbelt by bike. The Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt is eleven miles of paved, car-free path with underpasses at nearly every crossing, brushing Old Town around Camelback. For anything between Chaparral Park and the south end of town, a rented bike beats every other option, and the cut-through notes keep you off the crosswalk buttons.
How to ride it well
Board at a marked stop; drivers will stop for a wave at most of them. Check the route map for direction before you board, since a stop that looks two blocks away can be a long way round on board. Use the Valley Metro app to see where the next trolley is. Tip the driver nothing; it’s a city service. And in summer, remember that a trolley stop is a sunny sidewalk at 108 degrees; the summer rules apply to waiting for transit too.
The short version
Free, weekdays only, three commuter routes, and no Old Town loop since 2020. Walk Old Town, rideshare at night, and rent the car for the desert.