LEWISTON – Voters will have to rely on the political parties to get rides to the polls on Election Day, councilors said Tuesday.

The city won’t offer a shuttle to the polling places or any kind of bus service. Instead, voters can call representatives from the political parties for rides, vote by absentee ballot or vote early.

“It seems to me that people will be able to find a way to vote,” Councilor Tom Peters said. “It’s been this way for decades, and I see no reason to change it.”

Councilors began discussing the idea earlier this month.

The city is providing fewer polling places this year, moving Ward 4’s voters from the Hillview Community Center to the Multi-Purpose Center on Birch Street. Representatives from the Androscoggin County Democrats said it would make it more difficult for Ward 4’s voters, and they urged councilors to do something to make it easier.

Councilors asked staff to look into creating a special shuttle for voters. The shuttle would carry residents from the city’s Oak Street bus station to the Multi-Purpose Center to vote.

That proposal had grown by Tuesday night. Deputy City Administrator Phil Nadeau said the latest plan called for running an hourly shuttle to all of the city’s four polling places. That would run from about 7 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and would cost the city about $500.

Councilors Robert Reed said he favored making all bus rides in the city free on Election Day. That idea was mentioned by Auburn City councilors at their meeting Monday. Councilors told Auburn City Manager Glenn Aho to look into waiving fares on the Citylink bus system on Nov. 4.

But councilors said offering free fares would have little impact on the polling place since only one of the three is on a city bus route. Voters headed to the Lewiston Memorial Armory, the Multi-Purpose Center or the Elks Club would still have to find a way to get there.

Mayor Larry Gilbert said the status quo was just fine. Volunteers from both political parties are happy to offer rides to voters that call them. Councilor Peters pointed out that more than 3,000 people have submitted absentee ballots so far. That’s about 12 percent of the city’s total registered voters.

“To go to this kind of expense when there are so many other means to get there is a needless expense,” Gilbert said.