A Western Maine Transportation Services bus. The company is teaming up with Bath Iron Works to offer an express line. Courtesy of Western Main Transportation Services

Bath Iron Works employees who live in the Lewiston area will soon have a faster, cheaper way to get to work on public transport.

BIW teamed with Western Maine Transportation Services to launch an express bus between Lewiston and Bath that will start running April 24. BIW is chipping in money and using part of a $750,000 state grant it received to reduce bus fare to $5 for a one-way ticket.

“Many of our employees come from the Lewiston-Auburn area, and this bus will be a great option for them, helping them save money, reduce demand on parking, ease road congestion and have a positive impact on the environment,” BIW President Chuck Krugh said. “This a good example of the public-private partnerships needed to tackle the challenges facing workers as well as employers.”

The bus, which seats 24 people, is along the transportation service’s existing BlueLine and will depart in the morning from the Oak Street Bus Station in Lewiston and stop at Kelly Park in Lisbon and the Lisbon Falls Park and Ride. It will bypass the usual stops in Topsham and Brunswick and continue straight to Bath, where it will make stops near BIW along Washington Street. In the afternoon, the bus will travel from Bath back to Lewiston along the same route.

The express line will cut about 15 minutes off the typical hourlong run. There are ticket discounts for buying a week’s or month’s worth of passes at a time.

“This is an idea Western Maine Transportation Services has worked on with BIW for four years,” said transportation services Executive Director Sandy Buchanan. “Finally, all the pieces have come together.”

BIW received the $750,000 grant through the Workforce Transportation Program, a project of Gov. Janet Mills’ administration to support more transportation options for workers.

The express line is open to all, not just BIW workers.

“It will be a benefit for employees and employers,” Buchanan said.

BIW said the new bus service is a continuation of its effort to address transportation and parking issues. The shipyard runs shuttles from remote parking lots, supports van pools with preferred parking and encourages carpooling through the GO MAINE program.

Buchanan said the new bus line will be subject to a six-month trial to gauge interest and determine if it should be extended.