ESCONDIDO -- For 10-year-old Michele Pumroy, Saturday was a day of many firsts.

It was her first visit to Escondido, her first trip on the Sprinter light-rail line and her first time feeling like a star, as she got to slide in and out of a sleek, black limousine shuttle.

"It was so much fun," Pumroy said, just minutes after stepping out of the limousine and on to Grand Avenue in downtown Escondido. "I liked it because usually we think limos are only for celebrities."

The free upscale ride, which carted Sprinter passengers between the Escondido Transit Center and downtown throughout the day, was part of an ongoing effort by Escondido's downtown merchants to draw more people into the city.

Saturday was the first day that the limousine shuttle, provided by the Downtown Business Association and Escondido's Extreme Limousine, was running. It will continue to be available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every Saturday through June.

Michele, her two younger sisters and her dad were among more than 50 North County residents to grab the glamorous ride into downtown Escondido by midday.

Several of the passengers, who came from Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos, said that the free, seven-minute trip in the limousine was a major draw. Many of them waited in short lines outside of the train station for their turn in the 10-person vehicle and then once inside they snapped photos with their phones and cameras to remember the moment.

One such person, Dianne Bolt, said the Sprinter paired with the free limousine ride was an event she just couldn't pass up.

"We just wanted to come in to Escondido and have some fun," the Carlsbad resident said. "I'm on the coast, so I don't come into Escondido too often."

With the added convenience of public transportation, though, Bolt said she might be more likely to come again. Already, she said, she was thinking about coming back for the association's weekly Cruisin' Grand car show on Friday nights.

Debra Rosen, the leader of the downtown association, said that she was pleasantly surprised by the early-morning turnout and that she was eager to see how interest and use of the service might grow as more people learn about it.

Rosen, along with Escondido Councilman Ed Gallo, greeted people at the limousine's pickup spot as they arrived on the first couple trains.

"It's just an added plus to bring people to the city," Gallo said of the train and shuttle service. "We had a birthday party, for instance. They read about the shuttle service and said 'Let's do that. It's different.' "

The 22-mile Sprinter light-rail line began operating March 9, carrying thousands of passengers a day from Escondido to Oceanside. The trains operate seven days a week from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.

On Saturday, trains arrive at the Escondido Transit Center at 26 minutes past the hour.

Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.