LEWISTON — The pair of white Goshen buses served the Twin Cities well, but their time is past.

“We had them everywhere in the system, at one time or another,” said Marsha Bennett, transit coordinator for the Lewiston Auburn Transit Committee. “But they haven’t been in service since April, and neither run very well — one doesn’t run at all. They’re both in pretty rough shape.”

Both are up for sale now, through Dec. 2. Bennett figures they’ll only be attractive for scrap metal buyers or people wanting to part them out.

“I’m sure there are some usable parts in there that could be junked out,” Bennett said. “We just want them gone, and if you win the bid, you’re responsible for towing them away.”

Both Ford Goshen buses were purchased in 1999. Each seats eight passengers, with room for a wheelchair. The bus that still works has 146,987 miles on the odometer. The one that doesn’t has 161,059.

“These little Goshens served us really well,” Bennett said. “Even when we had trouble with some of the new buses in our fleet, they just kind of hung in there and kept plugging along.”

The two buses were purchased with a Federal Transit Authority grant. Unlike most other public buses in Maine, these are not owned by the state. The transit committee holds the title. That’s why they have to dispose of them.

“Normally, we’d just send them up to the state surplus lot and let the state take care of everything,” Bennett said. “They have an auction every three months or so, and they handle all of the paperwork and the advertising beforehand. We tried to get state surplus to take these two, but they  wouldn’t take them.”

The buses will be on display from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at the Lewiston Public Works Operations Center, 195 River Road. The final bids are due to the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments by 3 p.m. Dec. 2.

Winning bidders will be announced Dec. 3.

[email protected]