Ocean City's Boardwalk pedicabs will run in both directions from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. during Sunfest, October 22 through 25. Under the town's current franchise terms, that weekend is the last time they're scheduled to roll until next summer. The Coastal Highway Beach Bus switches to its winter schedule the day after the festival ends. Taken together, the two dates show how much has changed since the tram. A ride along the boards is now a paid, on-demand summer service. Getting from one end of town to the other in January depends on a bus on the highway.
How the tram ended
The tram started running in 1964. Apart from the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, it ran every summer for six decades along a 2.4-mile route. Service was suspended after August 20, 2024, when a tram struck and killed a two-year-old child near Dorchester Street. The police report that followed found that the Jeep and both trailers violated Maryland transportation law.
On October 20, 2025, City Manager Terry McGean announced that the trams would not return in their previous form. The Baltimore Sun reported that the decision went out by email and never came to a separate public vote. It also reported that a review by LJM & Associates, a risk-management firm, counted seven incidents in 2024. The firm concluded that without a dedicated lane, "the only acceptable option is to cease operations." The town repurposed the Jeeps and moved to sell the trailers.
What replaced it works differently
In April, the City Council chose Atlantic Pedicabs LLC from three bids. Procurement Manager Matt Perry said it scored highest, and the council approved it 4–0. Owner Omar Akel founded the company in 2016 to run pedal-powered rides on the Jersey Shore, and it operates in communities across Monmouth County.
The tram followed a schedule. You walked to the tram pad and waited for it. A pedicab comes when you call it. Through the app, riders request a pickup anywhere on the Boardwalk between the Ripley's museum and 27th Street and pay online. The franchise terms planned for daily service from 2 p.m. to midnight, from about Memorial Day to about Labor Day. The company's proposal priced trips from $10 for half a mile up to $30 for 2.2 miles. The agreement calls for at least 20 vehicles, and 10 percent of them have to fit strollers, wheelchairs and walkers.
The fleet was still growing during the season. In August, Akel said five or six vehicles were running each day, 17 were available and 10 more were being built. The app went live in mid-July. Akel told the OC Today-Dispatch that he had held back on advertising on purpose:
"We intentionally didn't over-advertise this year because we wanted to focus on making the service sustainable and really maintaining a level of service. It really was a pilot season, to pressure test it."
What a ride costs compared with the bus
Two snapshots from the 2026 pilot season show how people used it. In August, Deputy City Manager J.R. Harmon reported more than 1,000 rides in the first 15 days of full app use. The average ride was 1.2 miles and cost about $16, with demand peaking from 9 p.m. to midnight. Near the end of the season, Akel reported nearly 4,000 app downloads and just under 2,300 trips. The average fare was $17.75 for an average trip of one mile, and the busiest hours were 9 to 11 p.m.
A typical group was three adults or two adults and two children. At the season average, three adults paid about $6 each for roughly a mile. The Beach Bus charges $4 per person for unlimited rides all day between the South Division Street and 144th Street transit stations, and the town lists a $2 half fare for riders 65 and older, riders with disabilities and Medicare card holders, with free rides for ADA Certified Disabled card holders, Ocean City Resident Senior Citizen Bus Pass holders and children 42 inches tall and under. The pedicab buys you a short evening ride on the boards for a family. The bus buys you the whole length of town.
Akel also said riders were booking trips in advance, which in his view shows people use the service "as a predictable form of transportation, rather than a novelty." He added, "We are helping people that wouldn't be able to see the Boardwalk without it." In an August roundup of Facebook comments, the Sun found complaints about cost, visibility, accessibility and safety. The paper noted that the comments were anecdotal and not a survey.
Sunfest is the weekend everything switches over
The franchise lets the town approve service outside the summer window for special events. The council used that clause in a 6–0 vote, adding Oceans Calling, Country Calling and Sunfest. The two music festivals are over. Sunfest is the last of the three, and it runs at the Inlet, 809 S. Atlantic Ave. Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. This year Wine on the Beach is part of Sunfest, held inside the festival grounds on Friday and Saturday. In September, wine tickets were listed at about $35 in advance or $45 at the gate.
You can reach the Inlet four ways that weekend:
- West Ocean City Park & Ride, 12848 Ocean Gateway. Parking is free. The bus to South Division Street Transit Station costs $4 for the day and runs about every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., ending at 10 p.m. on Sunday.
- The express shuttle from 40th Street. It runs between the South Convention Center parking lot and the festival grounds about every 20 minutes for $4 a day, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
- The Coastal Highway Beach Bus. It's still on the fall schedule through October 25, running about every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.
- A pedicab on the boards, in either direction, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The pedicab window opens an hour before the festival and closes an hour after it on Thursday through Saturday.
The bus needs exact cash or a prepaid photo-ID bus pass. The pedicab is cashless.
What runs from October 26 until spring
On Monday, October 26, the Beach Bus moves to its winter schedule, which runs through April 11, 2027. Buses still come about every 30 minutes, but the last run is at 1 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. The 2026 schedule doesn't list any Park & Ride Beach Bus dates after Sunfest. When the Beach Bus isn't serving that lot, Shore Transit handles the trip between the Park & Ride and South Division Street.
| Service | Through Oct. 25 | Oct. 26 to April 11, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal Highway Beach Bus | Every 30 min., 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. | Every 30 min., 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Boardwalk pedicabs | Sunfest only, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. | None scheduled; summer season resumes around Memorial Day |
| Park & Ride to South Division St. | Beach Bus, $4 during Sunfest | Shore Transit; see Shore Transit for times and fares |
Akel has said he plans to add bikes next summer and do more outreach before the season starts. The town's planned franchise fee rises from $25,000 in the first year to $50,000 in each of the next four years.
The tram question goes into the November 3 election
Ocean City votes on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for mayor and three City Council seats. Mayor Rick Meehan has made bringing back the tram part of his reelection campaign. He has proposed smaller, low-speed electric vehicles, possibly run by a private operator, and said, "I think it is doable." Residents raised a similar idea at the October 20, 2025, council meeting, and so did the Ocean City Development Corporation that December. Both cited mobility needs and foot traffic for businesses at either end of the Boardwalk.
Other officials see hurdles. Meehan named the Boardwalk's designation as a state roadway as one obstacle. Maryland Department of Transportation spokesperson Charlie Gischlar said the Boardwalk is not a state roadway. Council President Matt James said he would welcome a proven safe option. Ocean City attorney Tom Maronick warned about liability unless the idea gets substantial study and safeguards. Council President James said the mayor and council heard the consultant's findings and alternatives but gave no direction to pursue them.
For now, the published schedule is the plan. The last pedicab ride of 2026 is Sunday, October 25, at 8 p.m., and the winter Beach Bus starts at 6 a.m. the next morning.
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