A delay in the delivery of three new buses will hold up the startup of Portland Metro bus service between Portland and Freeport for up to 10 months.
Passenger bus service for residents of Freeport, Yarmouth and Falmouth had been planned to begin sometime this summer.But a task force of Portland Metro officials and municipal officials from Yarmouth and Freeport decided in early May to postpone the startup, because larger buses are needed, said Greg Jordan, the general manager of the bus service.
“That’s why we’re repositioning the starting time,” Jordan said. “We’re looking at a delay for the vendors to deliver the buses of 10 months. We all agree that starting in the winter would not be a good idea.”
Late last summer, the Freeport Town Council approved funding for a three-year Portland Metro trial run. Portland Metro plans 10 southbound and 10 northbound trips per day, with stops in Freeport, Yarmouth, Falmouth and Portland. The Town Council agreed to spend up to $90,000 for the three-year trial run, which was to begin in July. The buses as originally planned would have provided 20 or more seats, and a flat fee of $3 was proposed.
Jordan said that the task force had envisioned light-duty, relatively small buses. But during meetings held in Freeport and Yarmouth, the group decided to go for medium-duty buses holding 20 passengers and two wheelchairs.
“The low floor is more customer-friendly and more accessible for people using wheelchairs,” Jordan said. “It also keeps the service running faster. Those are the big reasons.
Jordan said the buses will cost between $200,000 and $225,000 each.
The Freeport Town Council, meanwhile, is removing the first payment of $20,000 from its 2016 budget.
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