Presque Isle unveils details of city bus service, launching Oct. 15
Courtesy / City of Presque Isle
Presque Isle on Oct. 15 will launch a bus service offering fixed stops throughout the city.
Continuous, fixed-route bus service will come to Presque Isle for the first time next month, and officials say the service is the first of its kind in northern Maine.
The PI Loop will launch Oct. 15, making 16 regular stops on each trip, and will run seven days a week, according to a news release Wednesday from the Going Places Network. Going Places is a coalition of the Aroostook County Action Program, other nonprofit and civic groups, businesses and government agencies, which organized the service and announced it in July.
Stop will range from the University of Maine at Presque Isle on the south end of the city to the Aroostook Centre Mall on the north end. On the western side, the bus will make three stops in the Skyway Industrial Park and include Northern Light A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital as a stop on the city's eastern side.
The service, operated by the Aroostook Regional Transportation System, will run from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. A regular fare on the bus will be $1.75, with discounts available for seniors, students, military personnel and people with disabilities.
To encourage ridership, taking the PI Loop will be free during the first two weeks of operation.
“The PI Loop will revolutionize access to resources in our community by giving riders a safe, affordable, convenient, Wi-Fi-enabled bus system that will help people get where they need to be each day,” said Going Places Co-chair LeRae Kinney in the release.
City Manager Martin Puckett added: “I am very excited to see the PI Loop service start in the Star City. The collaboration has led to an innovative transit service that is not only a first in Aroostook County but in the State of Maine. The new service will meet the transportation needs of a wide range of the population.”
Passengers will ride aboard a “metro-style,” 36-passenger bus, purchased along with other infrastructure through a $270,000 gift from Presque Isle native and philanthropist Mary Smith.
Katahdin Trust Co. has signed on as a presenting sponsor of the bus service, and Going Places said two other sponsors will soon be announced. All three will be recognized with signage on the bus exterior.
The first four months of service for the PI Loop will be a pilot phase, according to the release, and schedules may be tweaked after that time based on rider feedback.
Currently, ARTS provides limited bus service to and around Presque Isle, but the trips require reservations.
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