The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST) is the primary provider of

mass transportation Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

for the Seacoast region of

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, as well as parts of southern

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

.https://coastbus.org/ COAST is a non-profit agency founded in 1981 to provide public transportation options in southeastern New Hampshire. First established solely as a private contractor to previously existing bus lines, COAST now runs its own set of public transit routes and transports almost 500,000 passengers per year.

Fleet

COAST operates a fleet of 37 vehicles, including standard

transit bus A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-floo ...

es, trolley replicas, cutaway vans, and accessible minivans as part of its regular service. COAST's operating fleet consists of the following (as of 2013): Transit buses * Three 2001

Gillig Low Floor The Gillig Low Floor (originally named Gillig H2000LF and also nicknamed Gillig Advantage) is a transit bus manufactured by Gillig since 1997. Introduced as a second product range by the company (alongside the Gillig Phantom), the Low Floor la ...

buses (30') * Four 2008 Gillig Low Floor buses (40') * Five 2011 Gillig Low Floor buses (35'), including three trolley replicas * Six 2012 Gillig Low Floor buses (29' & 35'), including two trolley replicas * Five 1995

New Flyer Industries New Flyer is a Canadian multinational bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing facilities in Can ...

D40LF buses, purchased used in 2012 from Orange County Transportation Vans * Six accessible minivans (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) for ADA paratransit service * Four Ford 14-passenger cutaway vans (2006, 2007, 2010)

Fixed-route system

Year-round services

Regional routes

COAST's four regional routes, particularly routes 1 and 2, have historically been the backbone of its transit operations.

Local routes

COAST currently operates three "local routes", one in the city of Dover and two in the city of Portsmouth. Route 33 provides local service to Sixth Street and the Strafford County Complex in Dover, while Routes 40 and 41 constitute the trolley routes serving downtown Portsmouth and Pease International Tradeport.

Clipper Connection (Commuter express routes)

The Clipper Connection is the colloquial term for COAST's commuter express routes, which were launched in 2012. The Clipper Connection routes are intended to provide express connections for commuters to the

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...

(PNSY) in

Kittery, Maine Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States, and the oldest incorporated town in Maine. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of ...

, Pease Tradeport, and downtown

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. COAST currently operates three routes providing service to the communities of

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

, Rochester, and

Somersworth Somersworth is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,855 at the 2020 census. Somersworth has the smallest area and third-lowest population of New Hampshire's 13 cities. History Prior to European settlem ...

in New Hampshire, as well as Berwick, South Berwick and

Eliot Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliotte, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which can serve as either a surname or a given name. Although the given name has historically been given to males, females have increasingly been given the name ...

in Maine. COAST also extends two runs of Route 41 to provide service between PNSY and Portsmouth. A late-afternoon run servicing Dover and Rochester, originally numbered 102, was cancelled due to low ridership and re-established as an extension of Route 2 instead.

References

External links

COAST official website
{{Authority control Bus transportation in New Hampshire Bus transportation in Maine Transportation in Strafford County, New Hampshire Transportation in Rockingham County, New Hampshire