BIDDEFORD — Commuters on the ZOOM Turnpike Express can take a ride on both I-95 and the information highway as they commute to Portland. The ZOOM buses, which bring travelers from the Saco, Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach area to Portland during the work week, were equipped late last month with wireless Internet.
Shuttlebus-Zoom Director Al Schutz said the new service is popular with riders.
“They just love it,” he said. “Every run, they’re on it.”
He said one woman told him it allows her to get a head start on her work day.
The wireless, which is only in the ZOOM buses, is funded by the Maine Turnpike Authority.
“I’m a big fan of Wi-Fi,” said Peter Mills, executive director of the Maine Turnpike Authority.
Mills and other officials took a ride on a ZOOM bus Wednesday morning, a 2008 vehicle. It was one of 14 buses the Department of Transportation acquired in January for local bus services from the Westchester County (N.Y.) Department of Public Works and Transportation. Five of the buses went to Shuttlebus-ZOOM, and one of the five is being used for the ZOOM service.
It was a transfer between Federal Transit Administration regions, said Susan Moreau, of the Maine Department of Transportation’s Office of Passenger Transportation. The transfer did not require a local match, which Moreau said was unusual.
“It’s a sweet deal,” said Schutz.
The buses that came from New York are “heavy duty buses,” said Moreau, and can last 15 years.
Schutz said five people can currently log on to the Internet at one time during a ride, and a future upgrade will allow eight users.
ZOOM ridership has been steadily rising. According to information from Shuttlebus, there were 2,534 riders in January; 2,552 riders in February; and 2,694 riders in March.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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