LEWISTON — Two public reviews Thursday of cost-saving changes to the Twin Cities’ Citylink bus system will look at impacts on routes and schedules.

Marsha Bennett, transit coordinator for the Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee, said plans call for combining a run along the Minot Avenue and New Auburn routes beginning Oct. 1, allowing Citylink to take one bus out of service per day.

“There are some service changes that came out of a service study, but the budget cuts are the big thing,” Bennett said.

On Minot Avenue, the route extends out to Western Avenue and Court Street now. Both would be removed under the proposed schedule.

Buses along the New Auburn route would stay closer to the downtown, with stops at Cook and 8th streets eliminated.

“The idea now is to do a combined Minot Avenue-New Auburn run,” she said. “So, because of that, the service areas in both parts of Auburn have been significantly reduced.”

A meeting is scheduled at 2 p.m. in Lewiston City Hall.

Another is scheduled at 6 p.m. in Auburn hall.

Auburn’s City Council voted to pay the system $53,000 less than the city of Lewiston for the current 2016-17 fiscal year. That reduction cost matching federal money as well, with total cuts of $106,000.

Riders could expect some changes to the system by October.

Bennett said there are no service cuts in Lewiston, but the bus to the Montello School will change. The school is served by the Main Street bus route, but will become part of the Sabattus Street route after Oct. 1.

“That’s just some minor route tweaking,” she said. “The Main Street bus will provide service on Main Street all the way to Stetson Road. Right now, there is a gap in service between Strawberry Avenue and the Marketplace Mall we are trying to serve.”

staylor@sunjournal.com

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