NAPLES – Following nearly five months of delays, the Lakes Region Shuttle bus, providing public transportation from Naples to Portland, will commence operations on Nov. 25.
“We’re very excited to announce that we’ll be serving the Lakes Region beginning Monday,” said Dan Goodman, the customer and community relations director for the Portland-based Regional Transportation Program, which will operate the shuttle.
Until the end of the year, the shuttle will offer free rides. Starting in 2014, one-way fares will cost $3. RTP originally announced that the shuttle would begin on July 1.
The shuttle will run back and forth on Route 302 between Naples and Portland every weekday, starting in Naples at 6 a.m., and ending there at 8:20 p.m. It will not run on federal holidays or Patriots Day.
One-way trips between Naples and Portland are estimated to run from an hour and 10 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes.
The shuttle stops include the American Legion Hall in Naples, the Clyde Bailey Drop-In Center in Casco, Sunset Variety in Raymond, the cinema entrance at the North Windham Mall, The Green Flea (the former Prides Corner Flea Market) at 33 Elmwood Ave. in Westbrook, and the Metro Pulse in Portland.
There will be two round trips from Naples to Portland in the morning, from 6 a.m. to about noon, and another two in the afternoon, beginning in Naples at 3:10 and ending in Naples after two round trips at about 8:20 p.m. The final trip starts from Portland at 7:10 p.m.
RTP purchased the bus with a mix of federal and state funds. The bus has room for 18 seated passengers, two wheelchair users and nine standing passengers.
The RTP is seeking to hire two part-time drivers to help operate the shuttle, Goodman said.
A full schedule is available at http://rtprides.org/lake-region-shuttle/.
The Lakes Region Shuttle bus, seen above, is scheduled to start ferrying passengers along the Route 302 corridor from Naples to Portland beginning Monday morning.Send questions/comments to the editors.
