MEDIA ALERT: Maine Alliance for Sustainable Transportation (MAST) to Host Press Event on New Bill to Expand ZOOM Commuter Bus Service
Public Hearing before Transportation Committee to Follow at 1:00 PM
CONTACT:
Karen Wood, CLF, (617) 850-1722, kwood@clf.org
Jane West, CLF, (207) 210-6439, jwest@clf.org
WHAT: Maine Alliance for Sustainable Transportation (MAST) will host a press event at the State House in Augusta, ME to discuss LD 673, the bill that would expand the popular ZOOM commuter bus service to meet rapid growth in demand. The bill, titled “An Act to Expand Fiscally Responsible Transportation through Increased ZOOM Bus Service,” will increase commuter transit options, reduce household expenditures on gasoline and diesel, increase employment opportunities and productivity and reduce government expenditures by expanding the routes of the highly-successful ZOOM Turnpike Express bus services along the Maine Turnpike corridor. The program would also establish a fund for the improved maintenance of Maine’s roadways. The press event will directly precede the first public hearing on the bill, to be held before the Legislature’s Transportation Committee from 1-4 PM at the State House.
WHO: The following individuals will be in attendance:
Jane West, staff attorney, Conservation Law Foundation; steering committee member, MAST
Representative Bradley Moulton (R-York), sponsor
Representative Ben Chipman (I-Portland), sponsor
Nicola Wells, communications director and organizer, Maine League of Young Voters; steering committee member, MAST
Christian MilNeil, citizen activist
There will be a brief period at the end of the program for questions.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 22 at 12 noon.
WHERE: Welcome Center at the State House, Augusta, ME
BACKGROUND: The very successful and cost-effective ZOOM commuter bus service that runs between downtown Portland and park-and-ride lots in Biddeford and Saco is nearing the limits of its capabilities, with full buses and near-capacity park-and-ride lots. In January, 2011, MAST, led by Conservation Law Foundation, submitted a bill request to the 125th Legislature seeking to expand ZOOM bus service between Portland and points in York County and add new service between Portland and Lewiston and Auburn and between Portland and Augusta. The bill has 26 co-sponsors, including four who serve on the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.
The Maine Alliance for Sustainable Transportation (MAST) works with decision makers to ensure that Mainers have access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable transportation. MAST strives to defend, expand and improve sustainable transportation options through advocacy, policy initiatives, and public outreach.
