PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Star City residents will soon have another method of getting around this coming fall.
The city will be offering a bus service through a project by the “Going Places” network, announced in a press release on Wednesday. The network, which was established by the Aroostook County Action Program, is expected to determine the bus route and start running in October.
The bus service will be operated by the Aroostook Regional Transportation System, according to the release.
“…We consistently hear from community members about the need for more transportation services in our region. In fact, the lack of transportation services was cited in our most recent comprehensive community assessment, as the top concern of the nearly 1,000 County residents who participated – ranking ahead of substance use challenges,” stated ACAP Executive Director/CEO Jason Parent.
City Manager, Martin Puckett, said improving transportation has been a topic of conversation with multiple agencies in the area for over two years.
He said the bus service will especially help people going to and from work, which was identified as a barrier to employment. “Some employers were noticing that travel to and from work was impacting the employees’ ability to work. A route system will connect high density residential areas to access to work, education, recreation, healthcare and other necessary destinations,” Puckett wrote in an email on Friday.
LeRae Kinney, co-chair of “Going Places” stated in the release, “Transportation is one of the major barriers in our community. By creating The PI Loop, we are not only assisting those without a driver’s license or vehicle, we are creating opportunities for employers, employees, students, and families that simply did not exist before. This bus route will change lives.”
