AUBURN — This year, students living at home and traveling to higher education in either Farmington or Lewiston-Auburn have an affordable, reliable alternative to driving or carpooling available to them.

The Western Maine Transportation Services GreenLine commuter bus takes just over an hour to travel between Farmington and Lewiston-Auburn, with stops along the way in Turner, Livermore, Livermore Falls, Jay and Wilton.

The bus schedule is designed to accommodate students getting to classes at either the University of Maine at Farmington or Central Maine Community College, although a transfer to the citylink bus in Lewiston would be required to get to Bates and the University of Southern Maine’s L-A campus.

“We’ve been told by a number of students that they want to take advantage of the bus to save money on both transportation and housing and have a more reliable way to get to classes than relying on friends or family members,” WMTS Community Relations Director Craig Zurhorst said.

The maximum fare is $5 each way and can be as little as $3, depending on where riders board the bus or the use of commuter cards that may provide a discount for a purchase of $50 or greater.

For more information, go to wmtsbus.org, or call 800-393-9335, selection 1.

Western Maine Transportation Services’ Greenline Bus is an option for regional college students to consider when planning travel to classes. Craig Zurhorst photo