PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) – A regional bus and trolley service on New Hampshire’s Seacoast may look to expand its fleet after a record-breaking year.

The number of passengers using the Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation jumped about 17 percent from last year, to the highest point in its 25-year history.

Director Steve Wells says rising gas prices have helped boost ridership. He said the service will try to expand, but it will depend on the amount of money it gets from the communities and on federal money.

The nonprofit system’s buses and trolleys connect communities in Rockingham and Strafford counties and Berwick, Maine.

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Information from: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com

AP-ES-09-12-06 1626EDT