Grand opening for Bangor Area Transit Center

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to open the new Bangor Area Transit Center in Pickering Square.

A moment that’s been years in the making.

“Many sleepless nights. That’s what’s gone into it. But to a lot of people, this is a village project. It takes a village to do this,” said Bus Superintendent Laurie Linscott.

That team effort was noted by Senator Collins who was also impressed by one of the center’s prominent features.

“A great partnership. It’s gotten the job done. I must say this is beautiful, and I’ve never heard of heated sidewalks. I’m going to come down and see how that works this winter. That is really cool,” said Senator Collins.

The center will begin its operations next Wednesday and will offer improved accessibility and facilities for riders.

“It’s a place we’ve never had before in the history of Community Connector, the city transit. So, this is hopefully going to change culture and people will begin to ride transit because it’s safe here and we’ve become a footprint in downtown Bangor, what we wanted for a long time,” Linscott said.

It will serve Bangor, Brewer, Orono, Hampden, Old Town, Veazie, and the University of Maine.

With a fleet of new buses, the center is looking for new drivers.

“We’ve offered a CDL Class. We’ve had some people graduate, and we’re just waiting on testing. So, that’s the one of the last things we’ve done. We have another class coming up in January. So, if you’re looking to get your CDL, please call the City Hall HR and they’ll put you on the list,” said Linscott.

The center has a few upgrades already funded for the future with some other prospective ones possibly on the way.

“I have a few more up my sleeve for the coming years but we’ll wait and see what happens,” Linscott added.

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