The region’s public transit system will resume hourly services during weekday mornings and early afternoons on its Route 40 and 43 bus routes beginning on Monday, October 16.

COAST was forced to suspend these services on September 1 due to an unexpected wave of unavailability among current staff. The return of several operators, as well as several new bus operators to the COAST team progressing successfully through training, has made the return of these services possible.

“We are very happy to resume hourly service for the majority of the service day on these two bus routes during the weekdays,” said Rad Nichols, COAST Executive Director. “We will continue to seek to remove additional service suspensions as expeditiously as possible,” he added.

Specifics on the changes going into effect on Monday, October 16 include:

• Route 40 in Portsmouth will run hourly between 6:00am and 1:00pm Monday – Friday. Afternoon and evening service will continue to run from 4:00pm through 8:00pm, but every other hour.
• Route 43 in Portsmouth and Newington will run hourly between 7:00am and 4:00pm Monday – Friday. Evening service will continue to run from 6:00pm through 9:00pm, but every other hour.

For information on COAST career opportunities, please visit www.coastbus.org/careers. COAST currently has one (1) full-time and two (2) part-time opportunities for CDL operators ($25.20 to start). COAST also has a 7.15% pay differential for operators working the second shift.

The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST) has provided public transit service to the Seacoast New Hampshire region since 1982. COAST is a public, non-profit transit system that relies primarily on federal and local government support to operate. COAST is governed by a board of directors representing the communities served, two regional planning commissions, and many local and state agencies.