Winnipeggers, visitors can now get a free ride with Assiniboine Park trolley to The Forks

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy hopes Manitobans will be on-board with getting a free ride.

Starting Saturday, Assiniboine Park visitors can hop on a free trolley service linking the park and zoo with The Forks, the conservancy announced Friday.

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy's trolley provides transportation at no cost to the public. Sponsored by the Winnipeg-based gas retailer Domo, the trolley has provided transportation around the park for the last seven years.

Owned and operated by Winnipeg Trolley Company on behalf of the conservancy, the trolleys resemble the city's heritage street cars. The Assiniboine Park trolley was given the number 596 as a nod to Streetcar 596, famously tipped over during the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.

The expanded transportation service stops at multiple spots within Assiniboine Park and will take riders all the way downtown, or they can hop off at the park's Lyric Theatre, the sculpture gardens, the nature playground or the zoo.

The free ride from the park transports riders to a stop at the Inn at The Forks.

Route maps, stops and schedules are posted online and throughout the park.

A GPS-tracking system tracks the trolley in real-time, which hopeful riders can view online through a link on the website.

The Domo Trolley will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends only in June. The trolley operates daily in July and August. Service drops back to weekends only in the fall.