LAKES REGION – A long-awaited shuttle bus connecting Naples to Portland, with a stop in each of the towns along the route, is expected to launch soon, said Dan Goodman, customer and community relations coordinator for the Regional Transportation Program.

As of last week, the Lakes Region Shuttle is either a few weeks or a few months away from ferrying its first passengers depending on final negotiations with municipalities along the route, Goodman said.

The debut of the Route 302 commuter bus service was originally set for July 4 and then pushed back to late summer before being delayed again.

Goodman says RTP, which provides 2,000 rides a day to people in the Portland area, is still working on getting paperwork finalized in one of the six municipalities participating in the service, which includes Naples, Casco, Raymond, Windham, Westbrook and downtown Portland. He would not identify the town with which RTP is still negotiating.

According to Goodman, RTP has been discussing the need for this service for more than a decade. A RTP route into the Lakes Region existed in the 1980s, Goodman said, but failed due to lack of users. He is optimistic that the service this time around will be more popular.

“We have finalized all the stops, and there will be one in every town from Naples to Portland,” Goodman said, Tuesday.

Schedule, fare

The shuttle will provide four daily roundtrips. The route will start at American Legion Post 155 on Route 11 in Naples at 6 a.m. and run twice to Metro’s transportation hub on Elm Street in Portland, ending service around noon. After a break, the bus will leave Portland at 4 p.m., making two trips to Naples by 8 p.m. – about a 35-mile, one-way trip.

“The fare will be a $3 flat fee for one way,” Goodman said.

The diesel-hybrid shuttle bus was purchased using federal stimulus money and grant money from the Maine Governor’s Energy Office, he said. It will be stored in Naples next to the American Legion hall, where it can be plugged in and recharge its engine overnight, at no cost to the town.

“RTP would certainly pay the cost of any electricity,” Goodman said, of the eco-friendly bus that can seat 18 passengers.

The Lakes Region Shuttle bus also accommodates two wheelchairs, allows room for nine standing passengers and luggage, and has two bicycle racks, Goodman said.

He emphasized that the $3 fare includes free bus passes anywhere serviced by Metro, including routes that service South Portland, Saco, Biddeford, Westbrook and Portland. From there, Lakes Region passengers can get to the Maine Mall, Amtrak station or Portland Jetport.

“One of the plans was that, due to the demographics and due to the areas being rural, the stops should be park-and-rides,” said Goodman, who speculates that such an approach would increase access to the bus and the number of people wanting to ride it.