Newly released data shows Concord Coach Lines’ ridership in Maine is up by more than 50 percent from a decade ago.
The Portland Press Herald reports that company statistics show more than 640,000 passengers rode Concord Coach Lines in Maine last year.
The company has become one of the biggest mass transit players in the state, with more passengers riding the coach line than taking the Amtrak Downeaster line or flights to Bangor International Airport.
The newspaper reports Concord’s ridership is almost 100,000 more than the Amtrak line, with stops in 17 Maine towns and cities.
The coach line connects students, travelers and businesspeople from Bangor, central Maine and the midcoast to Portland, Boston and beyond.
Company vice president Benjamin Blunt said people have come to “really rely” on them.