Residents who use Metro bus Route 4 to get around town or go into Portland may soon find the route easier to use and more reliable.

The Greater Portland Transit District, which operates the bus service, is proposing changes in an effort to improve what has become a troublesome route, and is looking to the people who ride the bus and pay for the bus through their taxes to help fix the route.

Westbrook residents will have a chance to discuss a number of options for altering the route at public hearings on Monday, Jan. 22, from 2-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. at the Walker Memorial Library.

“We want to get the feeling of the users and the funders,” said Peter Cavanaugh, Metro director of operations.

Cavanaugh said he received a mandate from the Greater Portland Transit District Board of Directors to take a look at the entire system, and he chose Route 4 because it was a route with a number of problems.

Historically, Route 4 is one of the most widely used routes of the Greater Portland Transit District and is also one of the most consistently late and unreliable. According to a report developed by Metro in October, the route has the same schedule and route structure since 1983 – despite increases and changes to traffic patterns between Portland and Westbrook.

Beyond being late, other buses have had to help cover Route 4 when the main bus was unable to cover the route in a timely manner. Also, the route includes duplicate service to Route 2 on Forest Avenue in Portland, and has large sections with no bus stops, adding unnecessary time. At the same time, other stops aren’t serviced past the afternoon hours, such as Brown Street.

Riders find themselves waiting extra time for the bus and arriving late to their destinations.

“The Route 4 schedule as presented to the public is very unfriendly to the user,” said Cavanaugh. “It’s very difficult for a new user.”

Cavanaugh said he’s hoping to present a number of options to the riding public and the taxpayers and get feedback as to what options would be the most popular.

In Westbrook, a number of options would alter the route, including a change that would eliminate service to I-95 Exit 8 and, as a result, shorten the route from 30 to 20 minutes. Other suggestions include the elimination of service to Juniper Lane or the addition of service to Brown Street at night or to Longfellow Street and Westbrook Gardens.