Dover, NH - A fare increase and service changes are being proposed on COAST's Clipper Connection bus routes, for implementation later this spring. The Clipper Connection bus routes are express commuter routes connecting residents of area communities with one of the area's largest employers, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME. They are operated as public transit routes and also offer connections to downtown Portsmouth.
These changes are being proposed because the manner in which the Clipper Connection services are funded through the Federal government is shifting. Ultimately, the amount of Federal funding supporting the service is not changing significantly, just the sources and the mix of the remaining sources.
There are no expectations for any further service reductions or fare changes beyond those proposed. The Clipper Connection commuter express routes operated by COAST have been extremely successful with COAST having provided nearly 200,000 passenger trips over the past five years.
According to Rad Nichols, COAST Executive Director, “The services we offer to commuting workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard have been extremely successful and a model for how public transit operators can work with a local military installation to reduce the traffic and environmental impacts of their operations. The Shipyard has been a great partner on this project. The increase in the fare to ride the Clipper Connection bus routes and elimination of significantly underutilized services is being undertaken to help us sustain these services well into the future.”