DOVER, NH: The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation, more commonly known as COAST, will be adjusting several aspects of its services beginning next month. The changes are being driven by a shifting funding landscape at the federal level that is resulting in lower overall reimbursement rates for the transportation services COAST provides across the Greater Seacoast.
- Beginning October 4, 2025, the following changes will take effect:
- Routes 42 and 100 will be discontinued.
- Route 33 Saturday will operate the same as the current Route 33 weekday schedule.
- Route 40 will be extended in the outbound direction to operate beyond C&J to Great Bay Community College and then the Pease Airline Terminal.
- Route 40’s first run is being discontinued.
- Route 43 will no longer serve Atlantic Heights, Shattuck, or the Newington Town Hall, which will impact the timing of the route.
- All services systemwide will end by 8:15 p.m.
As a nonprofit organization, COAST’s annual $7.5-8.5 million budget must be raised from a variety of sources. Historically, the federal government, through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), congressional appropriations and one-time grants, has covered 60% of COAST’s operating costs. This year, 53% of COAST’s budget is coming from federal sources and that number is projected to continue to drop by another percentage point or two in coming years.
Beginning in fiscal year 2024, COAST saw its funding from the FTA reduced by $341,980 annually because of changes in the calculations that determine apportionments and increased growth in urbanized areas nationwide that outpaced local growth and overall funding increases.
“Over the past several years, COAST has been working to diversify our funding base to account for the shifting federal funding landscape. The communities we serve have increased their contributions, as has the State of New Hampshire,” said Rad Nichols, COAST Executive Director. “We are also working to expand our base of support among local businesses, individuals and foundations. However, this transition is taking time and these strategic service adjustments will ensure that we continue to meet our number one goal—to serve as many people as we can with the resources we have been entrusted with, while also ensuring our continued fiscal health.”
The service adjustments were identified after reviewing ridership data across all COAST’s routes. The fixed routes and runs being impacted carry less than 5% of COAST’s estimated 400,000 annual ridership but cost $491,400 to provide this fiscal year. The changes taking effect on October 4 are expected to have the effect of reducing the use of FTA funding by $284,350, and $512,750 overall, in FY26.
Since 1982, COAST has provided nearly 17 million rides to people in the Greater Seacoast region. By linking workers to jobs, patients to healthcare providers, customers to shopping and restaurants, audiences to cultural, recreational and social events, and students to school, COAST contributes an estimated $33M to the local economy each year. The transportation services they provide also serve as a lifeline for many people, an estimated 20-30% of which would not be able to make their trip without public transportation.
“A strong transportation infrastructure that offers options for people at all stages of life is essential to our region’s ongoing economic and social health,” said Nichols. “Ultimately, the long-term sustainability of COAST rests on increased investment by businesses, individuals and foundations that recognize the contributions public transportation makes to all our lives. COAST’s work to engage these stakeholders is very much ongoing.”
As an illustration of Nichols' point, COAST recently announced an expansion of the Route 7 On Demand service in Exeter and Newmarket, which is being funded by a local foundation.
For more information about COAST and its services, visit www.coastbus.org.