The goal is to begin the service by June and attract some of the hundreds of workers who are traveling that route daily.
| Kelly Bouchard, Press Herald |
The Maine Department of Transportation is preparing to launch a pilot commuter bus service between Portland and Lewiston-Auburn and is seeking bids from companies interested in winning the minimum two-year contract.
The goal is to begin service by June and attract some of the hundreds of workers who are traveling that route daily, according to a planning study. A majority of riders would come from the Lewiston-Auburn area, with about one-third originating from the Portland area.
The service would answer increasing demand for public transit between the two largest urban centers in southern Maine, where the population has grown because of new arrivals, job opportunities and tourism. Moreover, some people who work in the Portland area are choosing to commute from Lewiston-Auburn, where the cost of living is lower and housing is more affordable and available.
“Despite this demonstrated and growing demand for transportation between the two urban centers, existing intercity public transportation schedules do not match up with typical work schedules and make round-trip travel challenging,” the study by Cambridge Systematics concluded.
Working with stakeholders last year, the study identified a preferred route that includes stops at Monument Square and the Portland Transportation Center in Portland; Bates College and the Oak Street Bus Station in Lewiston; and the Auburn Transportation Center at Great Falls Plaza and the Park & Ride Lot at Maine Turnpike Exit 75 in Auburn. Keep reading in the Press Herald.
Read the Lewiston-Auburn to Portland Commuter Bus Implementation Study, with details about funding, the preferred route, proposed stops, schedules, maps and more at this link. — J.C.
