Regional Transportation Program, a nonprofit that provides transportation throughout Cumberland County, will launch a pilot microtransit route linking Standish and Gorham.
Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 15, community members can request a ride through rtprides.org.
The route stems from an $88,139 Maine Department of Transportation grant.
In addition to Standish, RTP provides public transportation for the town of Raymond, has launched a pilot program in Windham, and has received a $99,576 grant for a similar pilot program in Harrison.
Don Libby, executive director of RTP, said the microtransit program is a cost-effective solution for towns that can’t support a proper public transportation network. An on-demand service, people can be picked up from their home and taken anywhere in town for just $3. Customers, he said, range people who are unable to drive themselves to people who just need a lift home after dropping off their car at the mechanic.
The vehicles used by the program are small ADA-accessible vans, able to get into areas that larger buses can not.
“It’s a definite need, it’s been a need for those towns for a long time,” Libby said. “They’ve never really had any public transit.”
RTP has been running in Windham for a few years. Erica Bell-Watkins of Windham Aging said residents have been quite happy with it. The regular driver is kind and they find it easy to use.
“It’s always good to have another transportation program in the Lakes Region,” she said.
The Gorham-Standish and Harrison pilot programs are funded until May of next year. Regarding long-term plans, Libby said that, in an ideal world, the three towns would move toward the model that Raymond uses, where the network is jointly operated by RTP and the town government. With the Harrison program, he envisioned someone using RTP’s network to travel from there all the way to downtown Portland for as little as $6.