Two different organizations will take over public transportation services in the midcoast area when longtime provider Coastal Transportation ceases operations next month.
Waldo Community Action Partners of Belfast has agreed to assume public transportation services for Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and Waldo counties, as well as the municipalities of Brunswick and Harpswell. The one exception will be the Brunswick Explorer Bus Service, which will be operated by Western Maine Transportation.
Waldo Community has provided public transportation services in Waldo County since the community action agency first launched its Sea-ME program in 1972. On April 23, the agency will provide these same services to its expanded region, the organization stated in a news release.
Waldo Community Executive Director Keith Small said Thursday that the organization is looking to retain some of the Coastal Trans Inc.’s staff in order to ensure the changeover is successful. He said that the news of Coastal Trans closing only occurred last week, so details about the transition and the number of people to be hired are not yet determined.
“We look forward to working with the staff of Coastal Trans Inc. to effect a transition with as little disruption to the regular CTI ridership as possible,” Small said in the news release.
Western Maine Transportation, which operates the Lewiston-Auburn city buses, and provides transportation to MaineCare clients in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties, will assume the fixed-route system that currently serves the town of Brunswick, spokesman Craig Zurhorst said Thursday.
“We are not anticipating any changes to what is currently running other than working to find opportunity and funding to grow the system,” Zurhorst said.