AUBURN — Twin Cities bus riders will get Saturday service this August, according to local transit officials.

Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee officials are drawing up a new bus schedule designed to improve ridership and service on the Lewiston-Auburn Citylink bus service.

Plans call for extending service later during the week and adding two Saturday routes between 9 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.

Marsha Bennett, transit coordinator for the LATC, said the group should be releasing a new route schedule and map later this week. They plan a public hearing on the new schedule during the last week of June and should debut the new service later this summer.

“Our goal is to debut this on Aug. 2, in time for the students starting up at Central Maine Community College,” Bennett said.

Members of the LATC are scheduled to discuss the new schedule and routes at their meeting Thursday afternoon. Bennett said the schedule details are still being considered.

Overall, bus service weekly will be less frequent, changing from a half hour between stops on a route to hours. Service will end at 6 p.m. each weekday, about 45 minutes later than currently.

“That’s a change to make the bus more useful for workers,” Bennett said. “If you get out of work at 5 p.m., you can still get that last bus and get home.”

Saturday service will be the biggest change. Citylink will run two routes between 9 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. The first will run through Lewiston, up College Street and across the Androscoggin River to the Auburn Mall. The second will run to New Auburn, then back up downtown Auburn to the mall.

“That’s the really huge change, and we should be able to offer pretty good coverage,” Bennett said.

Bus routes to the Auburn Mall will also add stops at Auburn Plaza.

“If I had to name one thing that was the biggest service request we’ve had, it would be service to that complex,” Bennett said.

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