Old Fashioned Express is a locally owned trolley company based in Louisville, KY, offering both public tours and private trolley charters for weddings, corporate events, and other occasions.

Yes! We have an exclusive partnership with our sister company Louisville Food Tours, and we share founders as well as an admin team. Louisville Food Tours’ trolley experiences, such as the Bourbon Trolley, run on Old Fashioned Express trolleys. That means we can do a lot more than just trolley transportation: we can also run bourbon tours, progressive dining experiences, and hop-on, hop-off guided experiences.

If you’ve lived in Louisville for awhile, you’ve probably seen our historic trolleys before.

Here’s the story: Louisville Trolley and Trolley de’Ville both happened to cease operations within a few months of each other, for completely unrelated reasons. Sometimes things just happen. And in this case, the universe just happened to drop 4 historic trolleys into our laps (“us” being the founders behind our sister company, Louisville Food Tours – more about them here). And when that kind of opportunity presents itself, you say yes!

So, to answer your question: while we purchased the trolley fleets from Louisville Trolley and Trolley de’Ville, we are in no way related to either of those now-closed companies. We are just excited to be carrying on the legacy of keeping trolleys in Louisville, and maintaining these beautiful, historic vehicles. (If you’re wondering, they all had names – like cats – and we kept them all, of course.)

We operate 4 historic trolleys in Louisville, KY, with a combined capacity of 119 guests. Our fleet includes Louisville’s original historic Toonerville Trolley, plus three red trolleys with bus-style seating. You can learn more about our fleet on our Meet the Fleet page.

It depends on the vehicle! Molly seats 21 with standing room for 14 more (35 total). Or 3 red trolleys can fit 26, 28, or 30. Total fleet capacity across all 4 trolleys is 119 guests. Tell us your headcount and we’ll match you to the right trolley, or trolleys, for your group.

Our 3 red trolleys are climate-controlled, equipped with both heat and A/C. Molly, our historic green trolley, is open-air and not climate-controlled, which is part of her vintage charm (you’ll barely notice with the windows open, but we provide hand fans – or blankets – just in case).

We offer 2 ADA-accessible trolleys, equipped with lifts, which are each able to accommodate 1 guest in a wheelchair. Please let us know in advance if you need ADA accommodations, as there is some advance prep involved and we can’t guarantee the right seating configuration or equipment without advance notice.

Private trolley charters with Old Fashioned Express start at $450/hour, plus an 18% service fee which includes taxes, transaction fees, and driver gratuity. Final pricing depends on hours booked, as well as travel fees for locations outside Jefferson County.

Yes. The minimum rental time for a trolley charter is 2 hours.

A 25% non-refundable deposit is due within 5 business days of your proposal being signed to confirm your booking and reserve your date; if it isn’t received, the booking is canceled. The remaining balance is due 1 month before your event. For cancellations: you can recieve a full refund on your total (minus your deposit) up to 30 days before your event, 50% refund up to 14 days before, and no refund within 14 days of your event.

If your group needs more time than booked, whether from delays or an intentional extension, additional time is billed at 1.5x the standard hourly rate, charged to the card on file.

While we cannot travel into Indiana due to our liscensing restrictions, we can will travel outside Jefferson County for an added travel fee based on distance from the county line. These fees cover both gas and drivers’ time, as our trolleys cannot safely travel on some highways and interstates or above 55 MPH, which means they take quite a bit of time to get far away from their home base! The distance fees we charge are: Up to 30 miles costs $150; up to 50 miles, $200; up to 70 miles, $250; up to 150 miles, $500. Trips beyond 150 miles may incur additional fees and require advance approval, as we may need to send an additional driver or rent overnight accommodations.

Trolley transportation is perfect for weddings, corporate events, executive transportation, birthdays, parades, reunions, and celebrations of all kinds! You can learn more about private charters here, or take a look at our wedding packages here.

Trolleys are a fun alternative to a limousine or bus shuttle (plus they’re WAY more charming). However, they do have some limitations. We don’t recommend our trolleys for long distances – trolley transportation is about enjoying the journey, not covering a lot of ground quickly. We don’t take highways, and we are not the fastest choice. But for savoring a scenic drive, shorter distances, transporting big parties, and all-around vibes, trolleys are the perfect choice.

Yes! This is our most popular private rental type, and we are honored to provide wedding transportation across Louisville and Kentucky. You can take a look at our wedding packages and services here.

Yes, every charter includes a professional, highly trained, and CDL-certified trolley driver.

Trolleys fall under limo law, so legally, you CAN drink onboard (we just can’t provide you with alcohol). That said, open containers of alcohol aren’t allowed on board UNLESS you’ve purchased an approved beverage package through us, for an additional fee. We charge this fee to cover additional cleanup of our trolleys (that we don’t want you to worry about).

We offer two drinking packages: you bring everything you need (just no glass cups, please) OR we provide coolers, ice, cups, bartending tools, and anything else you need, and you simply provide the drinks. Please let us know you’d like to hear about our Trolley Toast packages when you get in touch with us.

We offer a Trolley Decor Package in partnership with a vetted local event decorator (Blossoms & Balloons Event Co) who can equip the trolley with balloon clusters, floral garlands, string lights, and custom banners or signage matched to your event’s colors.

Because our trolleys are historic and particular about what materials they can safely handle, all decor must be fully removable and installed by our decor partner – we can’t allow outside access to the trolley for independent setup. Ask us about this package when you get in touch.

For the vast majority of our bookings, cleaning before and after your charter or tour is included in our standard rates. However, sometimes things happen. A cleaning fee of at least $250 will apply for hard-to-clean spills, illness, bodily fluids of any kind, or other excessive mess that we have to hire an outside team to come in and take care of. In the highly unlikely event of permanent damage caused to our trolleys by guests, charter bookings incur a separate fee of up to $1,500 to cover repair or replacement.

We reserve the right to deny boarding or remove anyone who appears intoxicated, impaired, or otherwise poses a safety risk to our guests, guides, or drivers. No refund is issued in that case.

Yes, with advance notice! And we HIGHLY recommend it! Any requested photo stops do need to be submitted ahead of time so we can confirm they’re safe and accessible for the trolley, and plan for them in our route and itinerary. If you’re working with a photographer, please let us know so we can coordinate with them.

You can fill out our contact form here, email us at [email protected], or call/text (502) 591-6155.