Public transportation in Maine is available for all four main modes of transport—air, bus, ferry and rail—assisting residents and visitors to travel around much of Maine's .
The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) has broken down the state's sixteen counties into eight regions:
Aroostook County (including parts of Washington County and Patten in Penobscot County) Penobscot County (excluding Patten) and Piscataquis County Kennebec County and Somerset County Hancock County (including Isle au Haut in Knox County and Washington County, excluding Danforth) Androscoggin County, Franklin County and Oxford County (excluding Brownfield, Denmark, Fryeburg, Hiram, Lovell, Porter, Stoneham, Stow and Sweden) Knox County (excluding Isle au Haut), Lincoln County, Sagadahoc County and Waldo County (plus Brunswick and Harpswell in Cumberland County) Cumberland County (excluding Brunswick and Harpswell) York County (and Brownfield, Denmark, Fryeburg, Hiram, Lovell, Porter, Stoneham, Stow and Sweden in Oxford County)
Each of the eight regions has one designated regional transportation provider for local residents to travel at no (or a low) cost. These include Aroostook Regional Transportation System (ARTS) and Cumberland County Regional Transportation Program (RTP).
Of the three northern New England states, Maine (as of 2021) receives the least amount of federal funding for its operational needs. In 2019, for example, it was given $2.3 million, 18% of its operating expenses.Rural Public Transportation and Maine: Review of State Best Practices – University of Maine, June 2021 In early 2023, it was announced that southern Maine would receive $8 million in American Rescue Plan funds to increase bus-service frequency and improve accessibility at bus stops. In late 2023, it was reported that Maine could receive, over five years, around $250 million under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve public transportation.
As of 2025, eleven operators provide bus and coach services in Maine, the largest being Greater Portland Metro. Concord Coach Lines, Greyhound and Cyr Bus Line offer inter-city connections.
Maine is home to six commercial airports: Portland International Jetport, Bangor International, Knox County Regional, Presque Isle International, Hancock County–Bar Harbor and Augusta State.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective April 26, 2018
Ferry routes are prevalent between downtown Portland and the main islands of Casco Bay, such as Peaks Island, via the fleet of Casco Bay Lines. Passage to Canada is available on The Cat, which runs between Nova Scotia and Bar Harbor. The Maine State Ferry Service serves (from Rockland) Vinalhaven, North Haven and Matinicus Isle; (from Lincolnville) Isleboro; and (from Bass Harbor) Swan's Island and Frenchboro.
According to U.S. News & World Report, Maine is ranked 19th in public transit usage and 43rd in transportation infrastructure."Overview of Maine" – U.S. News
In 2025, it was reported by the Maine Public Transit Advisory Council (PTAC) that the state is meeting 11% of its "demonstrated need for public transportation." The council asked for increased state operating funding for expanded transit systems and services, saying Maine needs to match the need. Later in the year, Maine lawmakers were looking at options to improve the state's transportation options, including a bill which would improve the coordination of community transportation, especially for those reliant on other people for mobility.
Environmental aspect Environmentally, personal cars, pick-up trucks and other gasoline-dependent vehicles account for over half of Maine's gas emissions, while the contribution from buses is less than 1% of annual vehicle travel within the state.
In 2023, Proterra, the manufacturer of electric buses in southern Maine, filed for bankruptcy.
Air
There are six airports in Maine which offer scheduled passenger services on commercial airlines (listed in order of enplanements):
Portland International Jetport, Portland Bangor International Airport, Bangor Knox County Regional Airport, Owls Head Presque Isle International Airport, Presque Isle. Federal Aviation Administration. effective August 10, 2023 Hancock County–Bar Harbor Airport, Trenton. Federal Aviation Administration. effective September 14, 2017 Augusta State Airport, Augusta
Portland International Jetport (ICAO airport code: KPWM) is served by eight airlines year-round: American Airlines, American Eagle, Breeze Airways, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and United Express. With the exception of Delta Connection, each offers additional seasonal services, alongside JetBlue and Sun Country Airlines. The seven most popular routes from Portland are Southwest's service to Baltimore/Washington International (151,000 passengers between September 2022 and August 2023), Delta Connections' service to New York–LaGuardia, United's service to Newark Liberty, American and United's services to Chicago O'Hare, American Airlines' service to Ronald Reagan Washington National, American Airlines' service to Charlotte Douglas International and Delta Air Lines' service to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International (83,000 passengers between September 2022 and August 2023).
Outside of Portland, the next most popular route is Delta Air Lines' service from Bangor International (KBGR) to LaGuardia, American Airlines' service to Washington National and American Airlines' service to Philadelphia International.
Owls Head's Knox County Regional Airport (KRKD) was built during World War II. It was later taken over by the town, then by Knox County.
Around 13,000 passengers annually fly out of Presque Isle International Airport (KPQI), mostly on United's flights to Providence International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.
Cape Air flies between Hancock County–Bar Harbor Regional Airport (KBHB) and Boston Logan. It also services Augusta State Airport (KAUG), with a service connecting passengers with JetBlue at Logan.
Bus As of 2015, almost 75% of Mainers dependent upon public transport lived in areas without a bus service. Washington County, for example, does not have a comprehensive public transportation system, despite having a year-round population of around 32,000.
There are sixteen local public transportation providers, of which seven are in rural locations.
Local Local bus services include Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit, Brunswick Link, Community Connector, Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation, Greater Portland Metro, Island Explorer, Lewiston-Auburn CityLink and Sanford Transit. South Portland Bus Service merged with Greater Portland Metro in late 2024.
Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit
Although its name only lists three towns, the BSOOB also serves Scarborough, South Portland and Portland via the number 60 Green line. There are eight year-round routes and three seasonal ones. The terminal for each route, except the number 70 Zoom Turnpike Express, is the Saco Transportation Center, from which connections to Amtrak's Downeaster can be made.
Brunswick Link
Formerly the flex-route Brunswick Explorer, the service was relaunched in 2021 as a fixed-route version. The service is run by Western Maine Transportation Services (WMTS) and has 27 stops. The route begins hourly from Brunswick's Amtrak station and connects to the BlueLine Commuter service and the Metro BREEZ express bus to and from Portland. WMTS operates several small commuter buses which serve Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties: the Lewiston-Auburn Citylink, the GreenLine Commuter (Farmington to Lewiston-Auburn), Lisbon Connection (Lisbon Falls to Lewiston), BlueLine Express (for employees of Bath Iron Works traveling from Lewiston), BlueLine Commuter (Lewiston-Auburn to Bath), a Farmington-Rangeley route (once per month), GreenLine Connection (Canton, Peru, Mexico and Rumford) and Bath CityBus (see below).
In September 2023, a contribution of $17,500 from the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine allowed the service to waive fares for six months.
Community Connector
Formerly known as the BAT Community Connector, it serves Bangor and outlying towns such as Veazie, Orono, Old Town, Brewer and Hampden."Bangor unveils new bus system" Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Me. Apr 25, 2002. pg. 2 4 Edition by Jeff Tuttle.
Between January and March 2026, ridership on buses around Bangor increased by 21%. This was largely due to the cost of fuel, which was over $4 per gallon at the time. Bus fares in Bangor have been $1.50 since 2014, but will increase to $2 in 2027.
Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation
Although based in Dover, New Hampshire, COAST serves southern Maine. Route number 1 ends in Berwick, while the Clipper Connection (express) route 100 serves Eliot.
Greater Portland Metro
Established in 1966, Greater Portland Metro is the state's largest transportation agency. It has two hubs: one on Elm Street (known as METRO Pulse) in downtown Portland and one in Westbrook. The Portland Transportation Center, at Thompson's Point, is a major transfer point (and the origin of route number 1 and the Metro BREEZ express service), where connections can be made to the Downeaster train, to Concord Coach Lines buses and to other local bus routes. Services from York County and from the South Portland Bus Service connect to the Metro at The Maine Mall in South Portland and along Congress Street.Greater Portland Metro runs fifteen routes: route 1 serves Congress Street (from Portland Transportation Center to Munjoy Hill); route 2 runs along Forest Avenue to Pride's Corner; route 3 ("Crosstown") takes passengers from The Maine Mall to Hannaford Riverton; route 4 also serves Westbrook, but begins at METRO Pulse; route 5 runs from Pulse to The Maine Mall via the Portland International Jetport; route 7, known as the Falmouth Flyer, runs from Pulse to Falmouth's WalMart. Route 8 is known as the Peninsula Loop (running between Hannaford on Preble Street and Whole Foods Market via downtown Portland). It currently runs counter-clockwise around the peninsula, but there are discussions about introducing an additional clockwise route. Route 9 is split into two parts: 9A serves North Deering via Stevens Avenue, while 9B serves North Deering via Washington Avenue. In December 2024, South Portland Bus Service merged with Metro, with Metro inheriting three of its routes: route 21 (which runs from Forest Avenue at Congress Street in downtown Portland to Willard Square/Southern Maine Community College (SMCC)), route 24A (which serves Walmart and The Maine Mall via Main Street) and the 24B (which also serves the mall, but runs via the Community Center).South Portland Bus Service – State of Maine official website University of Southern Maine's Portland and Gorham campuses are served by the Husky Line (H). Finally, the Metro BREEZ is an express service which runs, thirteen times on weekdays and six times on Saturday, from Thompson's Point to Bowdoin College in Brunswick.
Greater Portland Metro successfully applied for $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding through Greater Portland Council of Governments. They used the money for bus stop improvements, transit signal priority and a reduced-fare promotion, as well as a pilot “Microtransit” program. The funding will cushion the blow expected to be felt when federal COVID-19 funding (via the CARES Act) expires in 2024.
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