BRUNSWICK

Metro BREEZ on Thursday celebrated a new Brunswick-to-Portland express bus service, of which officials hope commuters, students and other locals will take advantage.

The launch was held at Brunswick Station — one of the stops on the new route. The BREEZ features commuter service between Portland, Yarmouth, Freeport and Brunswick — with 14 daily weekday round trips and six on Saturday.

Greater Portland Transit District Metro launched Metro BREEZ in June 2016 as part of a three-year pilot project. In March 2017, the Brunswick Town Council voted to extend the service to Brunswick, so the town joined the program in its second year. Brunswick is expected to spend about $76,000 — with Bowdoin College donating $20,000 — for two years of service.

The service is also funded with federal grants and matching funds from Yarmouth and Freeport. In the first year, the service has had approximately 2,200 boardings a month.

The route will now include three stops in Brunswick — one stop on Maine Street, one at Brunswick Station and one near Pickard Theater at Bowdoin College.

Brunswick Town Council Chairwoman Alison Harris welcomed the BREEZ to town.

“I’m very proud to live in a community that’s proactively tackling climate change caused in part by traffic congestion, in whatever small way we can,” Harris said. “And I’m very proud to live in a community that considers the needs of citizens who cannot drive or who do not have access to cars.”

Metro BREEZ will give the town a competitive edge and connect the community with the state’s largest metropolitan area, said state Rep. Matthea Daughtry.

“From a state perspective, as Brunswick and Maine moves fully into the 21st century, one of the big barriers we face is public transit,” Daughtry said. “We can’t truly be competitive as a 21st century economy unless we have access to public transit, which can be difficult in a rural state.

“We have an easy, affordable, convenient way to get to Portland,” which can only reap millions of benefits, she said.

Metro General Manager Greg Jordan said previous expansion success in Portland early on built some credibility and confidence that transit can work in Maine.

“It’s a rural state but Portland is not rural. Downtown Freeport is not rural and where we are today is not rural, so public transit does work here, and can work here and I think we’re showing it every day,” Jordan told The Times Record.

Many Mainers feel cars give them freedom to get where they need to go when they need to go.

“We like to turn that notion of freedom on its head a little bit because we’re often very dependent on the cars,” Jordan said. “We’re often behind the wheel stuck in traffic not doing what we want to be doing.”

Time on the BREEZ is productive, however. The bus is equipped with a bike rack and storage shelving and also Wi-Fi and USB ports.

BREEZ is also about economic development, Jordan said.

Standing on Station Avenue, he pointed to the new Brunswick Station Apartments complex. Not yet occupied, tenants will be able to walk out their door, hop on the bus and be in Portland in 45 minutes.

Denise Beck, Metro’s marketing director, said people can get tickets at Brunswick Station and throughout the service area. People can pay as they go and need exact change — $3 regular fare or $1.50 for seniors and people with disabilities. Riders can also purchase a 10-ride ticket or get a monthly bus pass. Passengers can transfer from the Metro’s express service to the local service at no added cost.

“We have an amazing customer service staff that can walk anybody through how to read a schedule and people can download an app on their smart phone and track where the bus is,” Beck said.

Beck said rides on the new BREEZ bus are free today and Saturday.

“I really hope that people try it out because we have really frequent service — 14 round trips a day between Brunswick and Portland on weekdays,” she said.

For schedules, maps and more, visit gpmetrobus.com.

dmoore@timesrecord.com