Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation, more commonly known as COAST, has received a $50,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

The grant was made possible by gifts from the John F. and Dorothy H. McCabe Environmental Fund, the Margaret S. Carter Fund, and the Parker Denaco Charitable Fund. The funds will support COAST’s internal capacity-building efforts and help the organization achieve its mission to provide a broad range of public transportation services that connect the people and communities of the greater Seacoast.

Since 1982, COAST has provided over 16 million rides to people in the Greater Seacoast region, linking them to work, school, doctor appointments, shopping, and social events. COAST connects people and communities in two primary ways: through fixed-route buses that serve ten communities in the Greater Seacoast area, and by providing demand-response and paratransit services to 13 communities in New Hampshire and Maine.

In the last fiscal year, ridership on COAST soared by over 28%, reaching a total of 373,940 riders. Ridership is once again up by double digits this fiscal year—even during the coldest winter months, when ridership is typically at its lowest. On average, between 20–30% of COAST riders would not be able to make their trips without public transportation.

“For more than 40 years COAST has been linking the people and communities of the greater Seacoast,” said Rad Nichols, Executive Director of COAST. “We are grateful to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation for recognizing, and investing in, our ability to evolve as an organization. Their generous support will allow us to build our internal capacity to navigate the road ahead so that COAST remains a public transportation resource for everyone.”

For more information about COAST, please visit www.coastbus.org.