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Trolley Pub Austin pauses tours after storm damages party bicycles
A large tree collapsed on bikes, forcing Trolley Pub Austin to issue refunds and cancel tours.
AUSTIN, Texas — A microburst that tore through Austin on May 28 left visible destruction in its wake, but for one pedal-powered bike tour experience, the impact was especially severe.
Trolley Pub Austin -known for hosting celebrations like birthdays and bachelorette parties while showcasing the city- was forced to halt operations completely.
“What’s great about Austin is it’s a big tourist market,” said owner Shawn Kint. “So, we have the bachelorette’s, birthday parties, friends get togethers. We do have incoming corporate groups as well that come in from out of town that want to see Austin in a unique light.”
Kint told KVUE that everything changed when a massive tree fell onto all three of the business’ trolleys, leaving them inoperable.
“You can tell that the canopies are destroyed. But then when you start going deeper, there’s suspension problems, drivetrain issues and, broken axle,” he said. “I don’t think we were expecting the level or the severity of that storm.”
With tours canceled and refunds issued, Kint said the company has already lost close to $20,000 over the past two weekends alone. He said the business’ insurance won’t cover the full amount of the damage or the financial losses, leaving him worried about the future.
“We had scheduled tours that we had to stop completely,” he said. “And we can’t accept new tours right now.”
Kint also noted the ripple effect of the closure, which impacts nearby businesses that are supported by Austin Trolley Pub’s customers.
“We take anywhere between 6 and 15 passenger pub crawl tours. We go around East Austin and we stop by different bars, and they have a chance to see a place or a venue that they’ve never been to before to grab a drink,” he said. “And so with us being shut down immediately, that affects the other bars as well.”
In an effort to rebuild, Kint launched a GoFundMe campaign, which will be used to purchase new trolleys and help pay employees during this time.
Trolley Pub Austin hopes that, with the community’s help, the workers can get back to doing what they love—giving visitors and locals an unforgettable way to experience the city.