The cost of parking in Portland is one motivating factor for people taking the new Metro Breez, Portland Metro’s express passenger bus service from Portland to Freeport, with stops at Yarmouth and Falmouth in between.

Jan and Ken Thompson of Freeport are a case in point. The Thompsons made occasional business trips to Portland, but finally got fed up with the cost of a Portland parking garage. On one such trip, they concluded their appointment and then dined out. Their stay was four hours, and their bill at the parking garage was $18.

“That’s ridiculous,” Jan Thompson said last Thursday at 1:30 p.m., as she and her husband boarded the southbound Metro Breez in front of L.L. Bean for the third time since the service began on June 22. “It’s crazy, so we said, ‘Let’s try the bus.’ I’ve come to like the bus a lot. It’s a great form of transportation. I’m so happy that Freeport has put this on the map here.”

Denise Beck, director of marketing for Portland Metro, said she has no numbers yet on Metro Breez ridership levels, but said it has been progressively building.

“We’ll have numbers for our board after the first quarter,” she said.

Riders are a “mixed bag,” who are going to work, shopping at L.L. Bean and going to appointments and other destinations, she said.

The Thompsons said they were the only passengers on the southbound bus when they first rode it. More began taking the bus in July, they said.

“It wasn’t crowded,” Ken Thompson said, “but it was better.”

The Thompsons also are pleased that they qualifty for the half-fare senior citizen price of $1.50 a trip.

“And it’s almost as fast as by car,” he said.

John Lowe, who brought his bicycle on board, was planning to get off in Falmouth, and bicycle back. Thursday marked Lowe’s first trip on the bus.

Passengers have taken a liking to John Swann, the amiable bus driver. Swann said that ridership is picking up, almost daily.

“People are starting to use it to go to work,” he said.

Beck agreed with the Thompsons, saying she has heard bus passengers complaining of the parking fees in Portlad.

“The parking garages are a huge reason to take the bus,” Beck said. “The cost of parking can be upwards of $30 a day. Why pay for parking, when you can just take the bus down?”

Beck said there will be a change in the Metro Breez schedule coming, an afternoon trip mostly to accommodate Baxter Academy students who need rides to and from the Portland school. The bus will leave the service with 10 weekdays trips, and nine on Saturdays.

“An additional trip is always good,” she said. “Frequency is what it’s all about.”

Jan and Ken Thompson of Freeport say parking garage fees in Portland prompted them to begin riding the Metro Breez passenger bus.

John Lowe of Freeport boards the Metro Breeze in front of L.L. Bean last Thursday. Lowe had his bicycle hitched to the bus rack, and was going to bicycle back from Falmouth to Freeport.

Passengers have taken a liking to John Swann, a driver on the Metro Breez passenger bus.