Greater Portland public transit will update bus fleet with $1.9M in federal funds

Courtesy / METRO Federal money will go toward the purchase of four new environmentally friendly buses for METRO's Breez express bus service.

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By Staff

A new round of federal funding will allow the Greater Portland Transit District to update its fleet of Breez express buses with four new ones using state-of-the-art emission controls.

The district, known as METRO, received $1.9 million through the Federal Transit Administration’s Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Program.

The funding will support the purchase of heavy-duty 35-foot buses to replace aging Breez vehicles, which make runs from Brunswick to Portland with limited stops in Freeport and Yarmouth.

The Breez service launched in 2017 and generates an average annual ridership of 73,461 passengers, which has exceeded METRO’s projections by more than 60%.

Replacement of the Breez buses is the next step in METRO's plan to operate a zero-emission fleet by 2040, according to a news release.

The transit system is currently piloting the use of electric buses, and hopes to add these in place of traditional fossil-fueled vehicles where possible.

“Maine’s public transportation systems provide good-paying jobs and are critical for those who rely on bus services to travel to and from work, school, health care appointments, grocery stores and pharmacies,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who promoted the funding.

METRO operates fixed-route bus service in Brunswick, Falmouth, Freeport, Portland, South Portland, Westbrook and Yarmouth with connections to local and regional transit systems.

The Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Program makes federal resources available to states and direct recipients to replace, rehabilitate and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities including technological changes or innovations to modify low- or no-emission vehicles or facilities.