A new pilot commuter bus connecting Portland to Lewiston-Auburn will launch this summer.
The Maine Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that Salt Lake City-based RTW Management Inc. will operate the service. The contract is worth $2.8 million.
That means the commuter bus is expected to start running between Maine’s two most populous cities by early July. The pilot program is expected to run at least two years.
If successful, it would indicate whether there is strong demand for such a service between the two urban hubs, according to the Department of Transportation.
That comes as Concord Coach Lines plans to discontinue its bus service to Lewiston-Auburn by the end of the month, it announced in May. The new commuter bus would service the same stops frequented by Concord.
The frequency of the commuter bus would mirror that envisioned by advocates of expanding passenger rail service in Maine.
State Sens. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, and Margaret Rotundo, D-Lewiston, pushed during the last legislative session for an expansion of rail service from Portland to Bangor, with other potential stops in Lewiston and Waterville.
Supporters envision that passenger rail expansion building off Amtrak’s Downeaster, which serves Brunswick, Freeport, Portland, Old Orchard Beach, Saco and Wells.
The Department of Transportation has opposed expanding passenger rail service into central and eastern Maine, with Nate Moulton, director of the department’s freight and passenger services office, telling lawmakers last April that the interstate between Portland and Bangor is “uncongested, predictable, have traffic speeds of up to 70 mph and provide for efficient travel times for personal vehicles and existing bus services in the corridor.”
Expanding passenger rail service could cost an estimated $375 million to $902 million, according to the Department of Transportation.
The proposed commuter bus would include stops at Bates College and the Oak Street Bus Station in Lewiston, the Auburn Transportation Center and the exit 75 park and ride in Auburn, and Monument Square in Portland and the Portland Transportation Center.
That service would run 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends. The department will work with RTW on any proposed variations to the recommended route, stops and schedule.
The Department of Transportation released a study on the proposed commuter bus in September 2023.
