LEWISTON — A new contract, a service study and cuts from the Auburn City Council could mean service changes for Lewiston-Auburn’s Citylink bus system.
“We know we have cuts coming, so we have to balance what we need with what we get,” Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee Coordinator Marsha Bennett said.
Bennett and representatives from Main Street Connections public transportation consultants presented findings from a service survey and study.
Bennett said riders could expect some changes to the system by October.
The study recommends changes to five of Citylink’s transit routes: Main Street, Minot Avenue, Sabattus Street, New Auburn and Lisbon Street.
The College Street, downtown shuttle, Auburn Mall and the mall shuttle routes would remain the same.
The team proposed charging fares, however, for the downtown and mall shuttles. It also recommended that the committee should monitor the Auburn Mall route, possibly eliminating service to Central Maine Community College during the summer months when school attendance is low.
The changes could cut down on mileage and that could mean less fuel use.
Michael LaBello of Main Street Connections estimated the changes could shave 29,000 miles from the bus system’s travels, saving an estimated $19,000 in diesel fuel costs.
Bennett said the study is only one of the things that could mean service changes. The committee is also reviewing a new contract with bus service provider Western Maine Transit, the company that maintains and operates Citylink’s buses.
Auburn’s City Council voted to reduce the amount the city pays to the system by $26,000. That reduction could cost matching federal money, as well, with total cuts of $106,000. The Transit Committee in response discussed a plan to reduce service on the Minot Avenue and New Auburn routes.
Bennett said the committee can’t make any service changes without a public hearing.
“If we end up making any changes because of the budget, I’ll recommend the Transit Committee make some of these changes from the study as well,” Bennett said. “Any of these recommendations, especially the ones that don’t cost money, we’ll try to put forward. But we have to go through a series of public hearings to do anything.”
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