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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 O C T O B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S T R A N S P O R TAT I O N / I N F R A S T R U C T U R E Department of Transportation asked the agency to step in. In less than a year, ridership increased 35%, reliability improved and new routes were added, the DOT said last year. Taking over the service was also an eye-opener for WMTS, which serves Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties. "We started seeing the con- nections that could be made," says Sandy Buchanan, general manager. e Lisbon Connection will extend to Brunswick and Topsham begin- ning early next year. Around the same time, depending on availability of buses, WMTS will also provide commuter runs from Lewiston-Auburn up Route 4 to Farmington. "So now we have someone [in the Brunswick-Topsham area] saying, 'You mean I can get from here to Sugarloaf?'" Buchanan says. "ere's not a lot of connectivity between the communities. at's one thing we're trying to change." Connecting for the economy Maine — largely rural, spread out and sparsely populated — has long had a complicated relationship with public transportation, which is seen by many as a heavily subsidized social service. But the state's workforce shortage, coupled with a different view of pub- lic transportation by both millennials and boomers, is changing that. "Transportation is the backbone for the economy," says Kristina Egan, execu- tive director of the Greater Portland Council of Governments. "And getting people where they need to go is vital." Her organization is collaborating with the Western Maine Transportation System, other transit services, govern- ment, businesses and social service agencies on a Mobility Management Initiative to determine how they can connect. e effort is an offshoot of the state's Public Transit Advisory Council. Maine is required by federal law to provide accessible medical transportation for seniors and those with disabilities. e state is divided into eight regions, each of which will have a service provider. In many areas, transit is door-to-door reser- vation service, funded by Medicare and often using volunteer drivers. Federal and state requirements and restrictions tied to subsidies have tightened over the past few years, making additional commuter service hard to work into the equation. e state's variety of bus services rarely connect, making it difficult, for instance, for someone in Lewiston to get by bus to a job at Bath Iron Works or to Barclaycard in Wilton. "We hear repeatedly from people and communities with whom we work that the lack of reliable transportation is a key barrier for people to participate in the labor force, especially people with low incomes," says Carla Dickstein, senior vice president, research and policy development in Brunswick-based CEI, which is a participant in the state- wide mobility efforts. 'I can't get there' "I think transportation is one of those things people take for granted," Buchanan says. "But then [businesses] get the message from people they want to employ: 'I'd like to work for you, but I can't get there.' ey don't realize how, without available transportation, they can't meet their staffing needs." e lack of the full picture extends beyond employers. "You get in your car, you go out, you have a good meal," she says. But the meal depends on the waitress or the line cook showing up. "When people don't show up because they don't have transportation, it's a prob- lem" that causes ripples that affect retail, housing and development. "Developers are asking me, 'What's available for transit?' before they build in rural areas," she says. Dickstein, of CEI, says, "In urban areas at least there's an existing transit system to build on. e problem is more daunting in rural Maine — for people seeking employment and for the grow- ing older adult population that do not have access to cars or can't drive." AUDIO/VISUAL EQUIPMENT SOUND MASKING SYSTEMS SECURITY SOLUTIONS CELL BOOSTERS & WIRELESS TELEPHONE SYSTEMS with tools. CONTACT US FOR A FREE ESTIMATE 866-782-0200 | connectivitypoint.com CABLING & CONNECTIVITY tech Guys... BUILDING PORT CAPACITY TO BRING MAINE TO MARKET W W W . M A I N E P O R T S . C O M C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » We hear repeatedly from people and communities with whom we work that the lack of reliable transportation is a key barrier for people to participate in the labor force, especially people with low incomes. — Carla Dickstein Senior vice president, research and policy development, CEI

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