FREEPORT
In an effort to increase accessibility to public transportation, Freeport is giving free and reduced fare passes to eligible residents.
Through a $4,080 Community Development Block Grant, awarded to Freeport and Yarmouth last June, Freeport has given out 45 10-ride MetroBreez passes, 10 reduced fare passes — half price for disabled residents and senior citizens older than 65, and 19 single-ride passes.
MetroBreez offers service from Freeport to Portland, making stops in Yarmouth the Falmouth. The company is planning on expanding the service to Brunswick in August. A one-ride fare is $3.00.
Freeport and Yarmouth matched the Federal grant money with $1,020. The grants are comprised of Federal money administered by the state to provide resources for a range of community development projects.
To be eligible for the passes, income is broken down by household size. For an individual to receive the free passes, they must earn less than $43,051. For a family of four, the income limit is $61,451.
The limit is 60 passes, and once somebody is finished with their first ten-ride pass, they must bring it to the town office to prove it has been used, which allows the town to track use of the program.
Town Planner Donna Larson said she expects the money will run out by the end of the year. She said she is unsure if the town will apply for the grant again because of the uncertainty of Housing and Urban Development funding at the Federal level.
Larson said Freeport and Yarmouth expanded the access to apply to residents who also work in the neighboring town. She said students who attend college in Portland, people with doctor’s appointments, and families who live in other towns have all benefited from the service, as well as people who do not drive or have access to transportation.
She said the service has enabled people to get and maintain jobs and acts as sort of a boost for them.
“We just want to give everybody access to this system,” Larson said, adding the MetroBreez expansion to Brunswick will also be a benefit to the communities already part of the route. “There will be more trips, the reach is larger, and there is a lot of synergy between Freeport and Brunswick. People do travel a lot between the communities.”
Those interested in applying should contact Larsen at (207) 865- 4743 ext. 103, or stop by the town office Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
jlaaka@timesrecord.com
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