Joe Lester looks at the bus schedule Friday afternoon inside the bus station at the corner of Oak and Bates Streets in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — The LAP commuter bus has a new text notification feature to keep riders informed about delays and service cancellations. The text update coincides with the rollout of simplified schedules as the pilot service linking Lewiston, Auburn and Portland (LAP) nears seven months on the road.

“The operator has a text notification system in place in the event of delays or cancellations,” Paul Merrill, director of communications for the Maine Department of Transportation said in an email recently. Riders can prepare for potential delays and inclement weather if they choose to sign up for texts ahead of a trip.

Five out of six LAP stops are still unmarked.

“We are scheduled to begin installing signs at stops next week, weather-permitting,” Merrill said.

The new schedules are mobile-friendly and divided into separate northbound and southbound sheets, replacing the single block of timestamps and stations that many riders found confusing.

With these easier-to-read schedules and the TripShot app that allows tracking vehicle movements in real-time, riders no longer need to call the dispatch to make sure they are at the right spot at the right time.

James Kuany steps into The LAP Bus on Friday afternoon at the bus station at the corner of Oak and Bates streets in Lewiston ahead of a trip to Portland. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

A little before Wednesday night’s snowstorm, the service sent out a text message that all next-day trips between Lewiston, Auburn and Portland would be canceled because of inclement weather.

James Kuany, a Lewiston resident and frequent LAP rider, had no idea about the cancellation until he showed up to the bus station.

“I was here for an hour,” Kuany said Friday, before someone told him about the new text feature. “Once I signed up, I got a text message that said ‘we don’t work today because there is a problem.'”

Formerly a Portland resident, Kuany said he commutes between Lewiston and Portland often for doctor’s appointments. Even with regular LAP rides, Kuany said he did not know about the tracking feature — nor had he heard about the revamped schedules.

“They don’t have any signs out. They can change the side of the street they pick you up without really telling you,” Kuany said. At Lewiston’s Oak Street Bus Station, the LAP used to pick up and drop off passengers on Oak Street at the same spot as CityLink buses. To prevent mishaps, the LAP now stops on Bates Street instead.

According to the MDOT data, the service saw about a 25% rise in ridership between September and October, with total rides jumping from 1,873 to 2,338. Total ridership for December was 1,854, down from November’s 2,102.

Joe Lester, another Lewiston resident, said that he believes the service’s $16 round trip cost is “expensive” for folks who ride the bus daily.

“If you’re taking the bus to work and back, every day, wouldn’t that get your pocket?” Lester said.

“One thing that’s kind of disappointing is they don’t have a monthly pass,” Lester continued. “Having a pass would be much easier to go.”

More information about the LAP commuter bus service, including schedules and text notification sign up, is available on the MaineDOT’s website: maine.gov/mdot/transit/thelap

The LAP Bus pulls onto the Maine Turnpike on Wednesday after leaving the Lewiston-Auburn Transportation Center at Exit 75 in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal