FREEPORT

Portland Metro bus service will be making stops in Yarmouth and Freeport in time for the summer tourist season.

Denise Beck, director of marketing for Portland Metro, said the plan has been evolving over the last year and a half, and that three brand-new buses have arrived and a finalized schedule and launch date should be in place within a week.

The Freeport Town Council has approved $90,000 in funding for a three-year trial run for the bus service.

Unofficially, Beck said she’s reasonably confident service will begin by mid-June.

Beck said for now it looks like the express service will have five stops in Portland with limited stops in Yarmouth and Freeport. The five Portland stops on the Metro website will remain the same, while Beck said the Yarmouth and Freeport stops may be subject to change.

Tentatively, stops are scheduled for L.L. Bean corporate headquarters, Freeport Town Hall, the L.L. Bean flagship store and Freeport library.

“We’re probably going to be tweaking it, but it looks like it’s going to be nine weekday trips starting at 6 a.m. and going to 7 p.m. and then five Saturday trips,” Beck said.

One-way fares will be $3 with reduced rates of $1.50 for seniors and disabled riders. Monthly passes and ten-ride tickets will also be available.

Beck said that currently there is no bus service to Yarmouth and although Freeport now has the train, it only runs twice a day. She said it will be a perfect opportunity for people to use the bus and train interchangeably to suit their needs.

“It provides more options for people. People who live in Freeport and work in Portland — commuters, students, people who are visiting the area who might come on the train and want to take a bus up. This will definitely help a lot of people, so we’re excited about that,” Beck said.

The new service will not only potentially bring more shoppers to Freeport but could become a reliable alternative for the large L.L. Bean workforce, many of whom commute from the greater Portland area — something L.L. Bean’s Mac McKeever said the company will take advantage of.

“We will assuredly be helping to make employees aware of this new service. We’re certainly in full support of anything that helps to get cars off the road for the sake of the environment, while also providing a convenience for our employees and visitors who are coming to Freeport,” McKeever said.

Stopping points

• TENTATIVELY, stops in Freeport are scheduled for L.L. Bean corporate headquarters, Freeport Town Hall, the L.L. Bean flagship store and Freeport library.

dmcintire@timesrecord.com