Scarborough is getting a new bus route and an on-demand microtransit service in October.
Many residents have questions about how Greater Portland Metro’s expansion into Scarborough will work. Mike Tremblay, Metro’s director of transit development, came to Scarborough for a public information meeting on Tuesday night to answer them.
Here’s what you need to know:
WHERE WILL IT BE?
The new bus route — Route 25 — will operate along Route 1, from Cabela’s to downtown Portland. It will go through the Downs and the Maine Health campus before crossing Veterans Memorial Bridge in South Portland.
There will be seven major stops, with minor stops every quarter mile. The official stops have not been finalized, but a draft of the map can be found on Metro’s website.
The microtransit zone — where two vehicles will provide on-demand service — will be about a 2-mile radius around the bus route. Most of the major employment centers in town are located in the zone, as well as half of Scarborough’s population, Tremblay said.
WHEN DOES IT START?
The microtransit service will launch Sept. 14, and Route 25 is expected to launch Oct. 4. There will be a formal launch event in early October.
The bus will run every 45 minutes. The schedule is still in the works, but Tremblay said it will run from around 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday-Saturday, and from around 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. The microtransit service will run at approximately the same times as the bus.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The services will be free for a few weeks after launch, Tremblay said. Afterward, the base fare will be $2.25, and the reduced fare will be $1.10. Seniors, veterans, Medicare card holders, people with disabilities, SSI/SSDI/VA benefit recipients and youth ages 6-18 are eligible for the reduced fare. Children 5 and under ride for free.
Fares will be capped at $65 per month (or $30 for those with the reduced fare), and $6.5 (or $3) daily.
You can pay using cash — with exact change — a card or smartphone wallet, or a Dirigo pass. With the Dirigo pass, you can get the fare caps and reduced fare if you qualify, as well as free transfers within 90 minutes.
Microtransit will cost the same as the bus.
HOW DOES MICROTRANSIT WORK?
Microtransit is a transit-operated on-demand service. Two vans, which can fit up to nine passengers plus a wheelchair, will operate at a time in the microtransit zone.
“I hate to compare it to Uber, but it’s essentially as if transit operated an Uber or Lyft service,” Tremblay said.
You can book a trip — using a smartphone app, Metro’s website, or by calling Metro — from anywhere in the zone to go to any other location in the zone. The purpose is to connect people to the Route 25 bus or to destinations not served by the fixed route.
The microtransit radius is small, but it could be expanded, Tremblay said.
Metro currently operates a microtransit service in Falmouth.
HOW WAS THE ROUTE CHOSEN?
In 2020, Scarborough was the seventh most populated municipality in Maine, and it’s underserved by transit, Tremblay said. It is currently only served by Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit. The transit’s Route 60 bus route runs every 150 minutes along Route 1.
According to a community survey from 2025, the town service Scarborough residents were least satisfied with was public transportation, with only 20% saying they were satisfied or very satisfied with it. Their highest priority was the flow of traffic and ease of getting around town.
Compared to Payne Road, Route 1 has more sidewalks and crosswalks, so it’s easier to find places to put bus stops. The Maine Turnpike Authority was also looking for ways Metro could help ease traffic on the Turnpike, Tremblay said. Route 25 goes through the Downs because it is expected to generate ridership, and it allows the route to end at the park-and-ride lot at Exit 42.
WHO IS PAYING FOR THE PROJECT?
The Maine Turnpike Authority has apportioned $3.5 million to be rolled out over five years, and Metro received $1.3 million in federal funding through the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System. The town of Scarborough has also budgeted local funding for the project.