Concord Coach Lines said it will end service to the Lewiston-Auburn area at the end of June. The company's regional manager, Dana Knapp, said the pandemic interrupted plans the company had for growing the Lewiston-Auburn service.
"Prior to Covid, the business was still in its infancy for us," Knapp said, "since Covid, we've been really trying to concentrate on our core business to get that back."
That core business is its service between Bangor, Portland, downtown Boston and Logan Airport. Knapp said, of ridership on that route, "It's getting there. It's kind of taken off pretty well this Spring."
But, Knapp adds, finding drivers continues to be a challenge. By ending the Lewiston-Auburn service, Knapp said Concord will have more resources for its core business in Maine.
Meanwhile, the Maine Department of Transportation is negotiating with a private company that bid on a contract to provide a Lewiston-Auburn to Portland commuter bus service. It would run hourly for 15 hours a day and make all the same stops Concord buses have. MDOT spokesman Paul Merrill wrote in an email, "We hope to have that service up and running by July 1 or soon thereafter."
