AUBURN — In the first six months of its new bus service in Lewiston-Auburn, Concord Coach Lines has connected about 10,000 people to Portland and beyond. 

Ben Blunt, vice president of Concord Coach Lines, said Thursday that ridership on the new Lewiston-Auburn service had an expected slow start, but has been picking up, especially around the holidays. 

“It was a little slow picking up, but we’re pretty happy with where it’s at now,” he said Thursday. “It’s still early on, and we’re still working to improve name recognition and awareness of the service.”

The service takes riders from Bates College, downtown Auburn, and the new transportation center at Exit 75 off Interstate 95 to Portland, providing popular connections to Boston and Logan Airport. 

The bus service had been years in the making and was pushed by city officials, including former Mayor Jonathan LaBonte, who wanted to boost connectivity to Auburn. 

Concord began the service in June when the main hub at the Lewiston-Auburn Transportation Center off Exit 75 first opened, with the service also connecting to downtown Auburn via the bus terminal at Great Falls Plaza. 

Since late August, Concord Coach Lines also expanded service to Bates College, which provides students a direct outlet to Portland and Boston. Blunt said during the first few months, ridership numbers have, as expected, come in “bursts.”

He said those bursts came most recently during Thanksgiving and Christmas when students were traveling home. 

Most of the business, about 70 percent Blunt estimated, has come out of the Exit 75 terminal. The transportation center features a large Park & Ride, which makes it convenient for those looking to park overnight for long weekends or longer trips away. 

He guessed that the downtown Auburn and Bates College stops combined have provided about 2,500 of the 10,000 trips so far, at a pretty even split. 

While most of the bus traffic at the downtown Auburn stop comes from the local Citylink buses, the Downtown Auburn Transportation Center (dubbed the Great Falls Transportation Center when it first opened in 2016) was designed with standards suitable to Concord Coach Lines as well. That meant higher standards for maintenance, lighting and cleanliness.

Auburn city officials previously said that Concord Coach Lines was not going to begin service through the downtown Auburn location until the Exit 75 center opened.

On Thursday, Blunt referred to the Lewiston-Auburn Transportation Center as a “collection” center, because of its proximity to Interstate 95 and parking availability. 

Herb Thomson, planning bureau director for the Maine Department of Transportation, which owns the facility, believes the new service is doing well.

“We do know that the attached Park & Ride is often close to capacity, which would indicate that the facility is seeing good use,” he said in an email this week.

The property off Exit 75 was owned by the Maine Turnpike Authority and was transferred to the Maine Department of Transportation, which built and owns the facility. Blunt said his company pays for operating and staffing the facility. 

At Bates College, students can catch the bus in front of Chase Hall on Campus Avenue. 

When the service first began, Sean Findlen, chief communications officer for Bates College, said he expected the service to become popular among students and staff. He had already used the service himself, he said.

“Any increased transportation options connecting to Lewiston are always going to be a positive development,” he said about the Bates bus stop.

Marjorie Hall, director of strategic communications for Bates College, said Thursday that while the school doesn’t have any hard data on usage of the bus service, “the office of student life has received positive feedback expressing satisfaction from students who have taken advantage of the service so far.” 

As for getting the word out to more college students, Blunt said Concord Coach Lines has held meetings with college staff and done some marketing. But he’s hoping those who rode the bus over the holidays are spreading the word. 

“It’s to be expected that it’s going to take a little time,” he said. “The best advertising is word of mouth. We think we provide a pretty good service, so you hope kids ride the bus and then tell their friends about it.”

arice@sunjournal.com

A Concord Coach Lines bus leaves the Downtown Auburn Transportation Center, formerly known as the Great Falls Transportation Center, in downtown Auburn in June on the first day of the company’s new service in Lewiston and Auburn. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

– The Lewiston-Auburn Transportation Center is at 1707 S. Washington St., Exit 75 off 1-95 in Auburn.

– The Downtown Auburn Transportation Center is at 24 Great Falls Plaza in Auburn. 

– The Bates College bus stop is in front of Chase Hall on Campus Avenue in Lewiston. 

– Tickets for the bus can be purchased at the Lewiston-Auburn Transportation Center or online. Bates College students are eligible for a $5 discount when showing a valid college I.D. 

– A full schedule of the Lewiston-Auburn service can be found here.