The Bangor-area bus system graduated its largest class of future drivers on Wednesday in the hopes of bringing back Saturday service this spring.
Fourteen people received certificates for successfully completing the Community Connector bus driver training program the city offered for free using a $322,000 grant from the Maine Department of Transportation.
Aside from covering the rules of the road, students learned how to handle any crimes that happen on their bus or how to spot signs of things like human trafficking, Matt Oakes, a Bangor bus driver and course instructor, said.
With the course complete, students will take their written state permit exam before getting behind the wheel, according to Oakes. Students will need to complete 15 to 20 hours of driving practice before taking their final state road exam for their commercial driver’s license.
If students pass, the Community Connector plans to hire them to the regional bus system, which offers 11 routes that serve Bangor, Brewer, Orono, Hampden, Old Town, Veazie and the University of Maine.
The goal of the training is to ease staffing shortages that have plagued the Community Connector for years and forced the system to reduce service, such as pausing Saturday service last September. Those cuts force many passengers who rely on the bus to get to work, school or run errands to lean on family members and friends, or pay a pricey cab fare.
The system had 35 bus drivers when the training program began, but needs another five to seven employees to reinstate Saturday service, according to Laurie Linscott, superintendent of the Community Connector.
Frank Roma, who retired from his role as Hermon Fire Chief nearly three years ago, said he joined the class after hearing the Community Connector needed drivers to bring Saturday service back.
“I enjoy driving — I’ve driven firetrucks here and there over my career — and I thought this would be fun and also continue to provide a public service,” Roma said. “Unless you rely on the bus every day like some people do, you don’t realize how important it is to a community.”
In the last few weeks, Roma said he rode the bus to watch how drivers and passengers interact and was shocked to see how many knew one another by name.
In one case, Roma saw a woman get on at the Bangor Transit Center who needed to go to a doctor’s appointment. She asked the driver to remind her to get off at the correct stop, since it wasn’t usually where she’d exit the bus.
“Sure enough, when we came around he called back, ‘Marge, don’t forget, you have a doctor’s appointment!” Roma said. “They really know and care about each other.”
Justin Moneke, who moved to Bangor from Nigeria in 2010, said he took the course to achieve his goal of becoming a Community Connector driver.
Moneke first worked as a certified nursing assistant in local hospitals and nursing homes from 2014 to 2023, but decided to change careers when that became too stressful.
He first looked into a commercial driver training course, but found the program was too expensive. Because of this, Moneke was thrilled to hear the Community Connector was offering a training program for free.
“When I get my license, I know it’ll give me the opportunity to work for the city of Bangor,” Moneke said. “It’ll also give me the opportunity to serve my community in the way I want, and I love serving the public and those who are in need.”
Cliff Hahn said he decided to take the free bus driver course because he’s interested in a career that will bring him more stability and be less physically demanding than his current job as a FedEx driver.
Hahn believes he’ll pick up the skills because he’s familiar with the bus’ routes and has experience driving large vehicles already. Aside from that, Hahn said he’s excited to build relationships with the passengers who rely on the bus every day.
“I can’t wait to meet whichever community I get to drive,” Hahn said.