OGUNQUIT — A new bus service will bring passengers between New York City and Ogunquit starting May 22 of this year. The round-trip service will depart both New York and Ogunquit once a day through Labor Day, and features amenities such as Wi-Fi, a self-service galley, and movies during the trip.
A round-trip ticket will cost $160.
The bus company running the service says the bus will leave from the Port Authority bus terminal and the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce, with free parking available at the Ogunquit Playhouse.
President of the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce Karen Arel said that when she met with people at trade shows in New York City who are interested in coming to Ogunquit, the most frequently asked question was, “I don’t have a car, how can I get there?”
The bus company, C&L Bus Lines, which is based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, contacted Arel last fall about the service and brought one of their buses up for members of the chamber to look at.
“It’s been warmly received. … I pulled 30 members of the Chamber to sit on the bus ”“ everyone was beyond impressed,” Arel said.
According to Arel, Ogunquit is uniquely suited to people who don’t have cars, because the only hard part is getting there. She hopes the bus company will eventually expand their schedule to a year-round service.
“The beauty of Ogunquit is we are a walking community,” Arel said. “Once the Route 1 project is over, we’ll have sidewalks.”
C&L Bus Lines has been involved with bringing actors to the Ogunquit Playhouse for several years, and operates trips to several other locations in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. They estimate that the service will be used by visitors in both directions equally, based on their experience running a similar service in Portsmouth.
“We’re really excited about it. …. We have a great relationship with the Ogunquit Playhouse,” Marketing Director of C&L Bus Lines Bridgette Desmond said.
In a separate development, Greyhound buses will also be stopping at the Wells Transportation Center in their journey between Portland and Boston twice a day. This marks the revival of bus service at Wells, which ended in 2005.
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