Rating Maine’s Bus Stops – A First Attempt

An as-yet unrealized goal of this blog is to ride every public bus service in Maine and bring back a report, as a service to would-be bus riders.

I am most familiar with the local bus service in Bangor (the Community Connector), and the Concord Coach routes between Portland and Bangor. There are two of these: the express up Interstate 95 with one stop in Augusta; and the coastal route via Brunswick, Rockland, Searsport, and a few other towns in between.

Bus services – as opposed to cars – are rarely advertised. It’s not always readily

apparent where to go to meet a bus. And the experience of waiting for a bus isn’t

always as friendly as it could be. Too many Maine municipalities seem to want to hide the bus service from the commerce of the town. In too many places, passengers must drive or be driven to an outlying gas station and wait in a parking lot. The bus stop seems like an afterthought in a sea of automobiles.

I thought it might be useful to rate Maine’s bus stops, using a set of criteria geared to those of us who don’t own a car. These criteria include:

Accessibility: How easy is it to walk there? Is it connected to other transportation

services, e.g. local buses, taxicabs? Can you readily make connections? Or are you stranded without a ride in the middle of nowhere?

Comfort: Is there a place to sit, preferably inside? Is there an available bathroom? Are there places close by to get a cup of coffee, a snack, maybe even a beer?

Location: Is the bus stop in town, near stores or points of interest? Is there anything to do to pass the time, anyone to talk to?

Safety: Is it well-lit, near other businesses, within the orbit of regular law enforcement? Or does it have a shadowy, out-of-the-way vibe?

Note that parking is absent from these criteria. The Concord Coach depot in Bangor has an ample parking area, and one can leave a car (or bicycle) for up to two weeks free of charge. I realize that parking is a major consideration for some bus passengers. But from the perspective of someone who doesn’t own a car, it’s somewhat beside the point.

If we are to grow public transportation in this part of the world, we must promote alternatives to the car at all points of travel, including the so-called “last mile” between bus and home.

Here are the Slower Traffic ratings for the bus stops along the Bangor-Portland route, first going down I-95, then coming back along coastal Route 1 up to Searsport (1 to 4 stars):

Bangor: ***

Located on Union Street, the depot is 2-3 miles from downtown. At least it’s

on a Community Connector bus route, and accessible to nearby medical services. Dunkin’ Donuts, Wendy’s, and Hannaford are within walking distance.

Augusta: * Awful.

Miles from anywhere, with no local bus or cab services in sight. One

ought to be somewhere near the capitol when arriving by bus in the state capital.

Portland: ***

Would be four stars if there were anyplace nearby to get food except

vending machines. Well-connected to the Portland city bus system and the Downeaster train. For passengers staying over, there’s a hotel adjacent to the terminal.

Brunswick: ****

Also connected to the train, but the bus stop puts you within walking

distance to stores, bars, restaurants, a park, Bowdoin College, and a bookstore.

Bath: **

I suppose you could walk from the center of town to the bus stop, though it’s hard to tell where the stop is. It’s hidden on a little side road off Route 1 that seems to be lined with warehouses and auto supply stores. A cheerless place to chill while waiting for a bus.

Wiscasset: *

The worst stop on either route. Several miles before you get to “the

prettiest village in Maine,” where you can wait in a long line for a lobster roll, the bus stops at a car dealership on Route One with nothing in sight but cars.

Damariscotta: ****

There’s no station, but the bus stops right in the center of town. You

can be drinking a beer and eating a pizza and watching the action on Main Street five minutes before the bus comes.

Waldoboro: **

One of several non-descript gas station stops. Too far from town to walk

with luggage.

Rockland: ****

The bus stop is at the ferry landing. A short walk takes you to Main

Street. Local buses and taxi services converge here. It’s adjacent to a boatyard and smells like the sea. What’s not to like?

Camden-Rockport: *

Given the money in these two communities, the location of the bus

stop, at a gas station within convenient walking distance of neither, is a disgrace. The bus could make the short loop into Rockport and continue into Camden with no loss of time. And passengers would get off in town, instead of at a car stop along the highway.

Lincolnville Beach: ****

This is a “flag stop,” which means the bus only stops if someone’s getting on or off. It’s right at the beach – how can you beat that? There should be more of these flag stops in towns the buses pass through: Thomaston, Winterport, Waterville.

Belfast: **

This gas station stop is more than a mile out of town, on the inland side of

Route One. Everyone who gets off the bus here gets into a car. The town could do better.

Searsport: ***

Another gas station, but this one has a Dunkin’ Donuts, an antique barn

across the street, and it’s right next to Hamilton Marine, where one can while away the time before the bus comes looking at boat stuff. After Searsport, the bus veers north to Bangor. You can connect there with the Cyr bus to Aroostook County, but if you’re going Down East, you will need to spend the night in

Bangor. Sorely needed is a bus that bridges the gap between Searsport and Ellsworth.