FILE PHOTO / COURTESY BATH IRON WORKS
Charles Krugh, BIW’s president, is seen late last year at the start of renovations of a child care center to add slots for the children of shipyard workers and the broader community.
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Bath Iron Works will add Metro BREEZ service for employees from Portland area
Photo / Courtesy Greater Portland Transit District
BIW received a Maine Department of Transportation grant to pay for a Metro BREEZ route between Portland and Bath.
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and Greater Portland Metro will expand commuter bus transportation between Portland and Bath.
The extension of the Metro BREEZ route is scheduled to begin July 7.
“This public-private partnership will make it easier and more affordable for shipbuilders to commute from Portland to Bath,” said Charles Krugh, BIW’s president. “As a result, it will reduce traffic and parking demand near the shipyard.”
BIW has roughly 700 employees who live in Portland, Falmouth, Yarmouth, Freeport and Brunswick, and more who live in adjacent communities, a spokesman said.
The bus service will also be a tool to recruit more shipyard workers.
To add the service, BIW obtained a grant from the Maine Workforce Transportation Pilot Program, an effort by Gov. Janet Mills to support employers with workforce transportation solutions.
The total Maine Department of Transportation grant was $750,000. A portion was used to subsidize bus service between Lewiston and Bath provided by Western Maine Transportation Services and started in 2023. The rest was used for the Bath BREEZ route.
The grant also requires that BIW cover a portion of the expense with matching funds. The cost for subsidizing the Bath BREEZ route totals $10,000 per month.
The grant, plus the fares collected, are intended to offset Greater Portland Transit District’s costs, David Hench, a BIW spokesman, told Mainebiz.
Recruitment
The timing of the BREEZ bus and its pickup and drop off locations meet the schedule needs of many first-shift shipyard workers, leaving the first Portland stop at 5:10 a.m., with additional stops in Portland, Yarmouth, Freeport and Brunswick and arriving at the Bath Visitor Information Center at 6:20 a.m. The route will reverse with departure from Bath at 3:40 p.m.
The hope is that the service will help BIW expand its hiring.
“Portland is the state’s largest population center and this would be an option for people who don’t have a vehicle or share one or for those who find the fare less than the cost of commuting,” Hench said.
The fare will be $4 each way with discounts for riding frequently or buying a book of 10 tickets. An additional discount will be available for veterans, passengers over 65 and passengers with a disability.
The service will accommodate the general public as well and the schedule offers Bath residents a convenient round-trip to Portland, leaving Bath at 6:20 a.m., connecting with the rest of the district’s network and leaving Portland for Bath at 2:05 p.m.
“The BREEZ’s expansion to Bath will greatly enhance public transit and improve regional connectivity for our city,” said Marc Meyers, Bath’s city manager.
The new bus service is in addition to BIW’s efforts to support transportation and parking options. BIW runs shuttles from remote parking lots, supports van pools with preferred parking, subsidizes a commuter bus from Lewiston and works with the state’s GO Maine program to promote shared transportation among shipyard workers.
The transportation programs are part of a slew of initiatives BIW has underway to attract and retain workers, such as paid training opportunities and the addition of new housing units and child care options supported by U.S. Navy funding
Bath Iron Works is owned by General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) and has more than 6,500 employees.
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