BIDDEFORD – After eight years as director of ShuttleBus-ZOOM, Al Schutz will be retiring at the end of this year. However, he will not be leaving behind his passion for public transit.

ShuttleBus-ZOOM provides local public bus service. Schutz, 58, will continue after retirement to work in the field of public transportation independently through Schutz Transportation Solutions as a consultant, and will advocate for electric bus systems.

“I’m taking my 23 years in public transportation and putting it to work to make sure Maine is the leader in electric transportation,” said Schutz.

In August, it was announced that the Maine Department of Transportation was slated to receive nearly $2.3 million to help fund electric buses in the greater Portland area.

Schutz said now that the state has received the electric bus grant, the momentum for creating an electric transportation system needs to continue.

“I’m still a crusader for transit,” said Schutz. “We’ve come to a paradigm shift. I think we have to shift to a more electric infrastructure.”

Maine is a highly rural state, with a high number of elderly people, and there needs to be a way to ensure someone’s grandmother out in the country can have safe and reliable transportation to her doctor’s appointment, said Schutz.

In order to do this, there needs to be an innovative way to drop costs, he said. The solution is a well mapped out electric transportation system, that will not only reduce pollution, but will create a system that is cheaper to maintain and will reach a broader range of people.

“Right now there are a lot of people who need this service and we can’t reach them. We need to find a smarter, more innovative way to do it, and I think electric vehicles are the way to go,” he said. “Transportation is at the crossroads. We’re going to be falling behind again if we don’t seize the opportunity.”

Schutz has brought passion and enthusiasm to his position to ShuttleBus-ZOOM.

“I’m a New Yorker, there are 30 seconds in every minute, and you better use them all,” he said.

He said he’s been fortunate to have the support of staff who are highly talented and driven to be the best and a dedicated transit committee who gave him latitude.

Schutz has taken ShuttleBus-ZOOM from a budget of less than $1 million to a budget of more than $4 million.

Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach each contribute $125,000 to the organization annually, and Scarborough contributes $25,000. Other sources of funding include bus fares and federal grants.

Schutz credits the successful partnerships ShuttleBus-ZOOM has made to help keep revenue up and the budget balanced. These partnerships include contracted bus stops to local businesses and advertising wraps on the buses.

Under Schutz’s tenure, office space was expanded and measures including switching over to natural gas were made to make the building more energy efficient.

Also, programs have been put into place to provide bus passes to those in need. Ridership has risen, for example, the Old Orchard Beach summer trolley which in 2010 had 60,000 riders, peaked in 2016 with about 145,000 riders.

ShuttleBus-ZOOM has also received first place awards in the Maine State Roadeo three years in a row.

“(I’ve enjoyed) watching ShuttleBus, who had never won it before, become the one to beat. I don’t like to be second to anybody,” said Schutz.

ShuttleBus-ZOOM Mobility Manager Perian Carpenter said Schutz was always looking to the future.

She said he promoted her to the position of mobility manager when there were only three such positions in the state.

“I had no idea what it entailed but he gave me the tools, guidance and support, I’ve been able to get the job done,” she said. Carpenter said when she came up with the idea of the Tranist Angel Project, which provides public bus passes to those in need, Schutz gave her the encouragement to create the project. Transit Angel has been successful and has provided more than 4,500 rides.

“On behalf of the board, we are extremely pleased with the job Al has done here at Shuttlebus-Zoom. Al brought tremendous experience and energy to the organization that will be missed. His ability to secure and manage scarce resources has grown the Shuttlebus-Zoom system into something we are proud to be a part of. We sincerely thank Al and wish him the best in his retirement,” Board Chairman of Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit Committee Greg Tansley said in a written statement.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 780-9015 or [email protected].