When I began using Bangor’s public bus system, shortly after I moved upriver from Belfast in 2006, it wasn’t called the Community Connector, but the BAT, for Bangor Area Transit. A few of the big red buses sported big black bat silhouettes on the sides, which looked kind of cool but made it hard to see out of some of the windows.

“Community Connector,” though a bit bland, is a fine name for a fine bus service. The bus does connect the greater Bangor Community. I liked “BAT” for its brevity and superhero connotation. Given the size of the area and the population it serves, what the bus service does is truly heroic.

A comprehensive survey of the bus system is now underway, as part of a study of how it can best serve the Bangor area in the coming years. Whether you use the bus frequently, occasionally, or not at all, it’s important to realize that it is an asset to the entire community, and that even non-riders benefit from it, in the form of less congested streets, more available parking spaces, and employees who can get to jobs on time without the hassle of a car.

I have always found more to praise than to criticize about Bangor’s bus system. Around the country, I’ve seen cities twice our size with bus systems half as good, or no bus system at all. These car-dependent communities tend to lack the sense of community that comes from a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented downtown. They tend to be unfriendly places in which to ride a bicycle. They tend to sacrifice green spaces for parking lots.

One of the challenges of this young century is to enlarge the network of support for public transportation, in communities large and small. It seems clear that we cannot continue to use cars the way we did in the last half of the last century. The global ecosystem won’t stand for it, and neither will the economy. Public transportation is a long-term investment that benefits all of us.

I filled out the on-line survey that’s circulating, and in the spirit of improving an already decent bus system, I offer the following suggestions:

Evening hours: Everybody I’ve talked to on the bus agrees on this. More people would ride if the buses ran later. Extending the hours beyond six in the evening would enable many more commuters to get to their jobs and home again without driving. It would allow non-drivers to patronize businesses after work, to attend events without contributing to traffic jams, to participate in city council meetings.

Pickering Square: It’s crucial that the bus hub remains in a highly visible and centralized location. Pickering Square is the logical place. Any renovations to the square should begin with the fact of the bus hub, and be built around it. Visitors to Bangor should see visible evidence of the bus system’s centrality to the community.

Frequency of service: I didn’t know that until 1986, the Old Town route that serves the University of Maine ran every half hour rather than every hour, as it does now. More frequent service would encourage more people to use the bus in their busy lives.

Employer buy-in: The University of Maine is the most enlightened employer in the region, in that it incentivizes bus ridership by providing bus service for all students, faculty, and employees. I’d like to see other employers in the area follow their lead: the hospitals, Cianbro, the businesses on Outer Hammond Street, the stores and restaurants out by the Bangor Mall.

Connections: Currently, it takes two buses to get from downtown to Husson University. It’s impossible to get to the Greyhound bus stop via the local bus, and on Saturday mornings, the first Concord Coach buses leave before the first Community Connector passes the depot on Union Street. I’d like to see some effort made to connect all the area’s public transportation options so that passengers can more easily transition between them.

Expansion: It’s criminal that Hampden canceled the Saturday bus route, and it’s unfortunate that the Odlin Road route didn’t survive. Other areas, such as Outer Broadway and Outer Hammond Street, remain beyond the reach of the bus.

Wish list: I hope to live long enough to see regular bus service between Bangor and outlying communities including Orrington, Holden, Hermon, Bucksport and Winterport. But these are long-term goals. The Bangor area already has the foundation of a good public bus system. It’s something to be proud of, and to build on for the future.

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