Welcome to the second in our series on green transportation alternatives in northern New England.

COAST Bus (Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation) serves the Seacoast New Hampshire area and Berwick, Maine.

While COAST does not offer any special summer deals, they have a great selection of routes to get you around the greater Portsmouth area, including Dover, Exeter, Farmington, Greenland, Newington, Newmarket, Portsmouth, Rochester, Somersworth, Stratham, and Berwick, Maine.

They also offer trolley service on Lafayette Road (make sure to get off at the Southgate Plaza to visit the Goodwill store!) and Pease International Tradeport.

New to taking the bus?  COAST offers some great tips on how to get started commuting green.  All buses offer bike racks.

Hey New Hampshire!

Nick at the Central New Hampshire Bicycle Coalition informed us that Concord is having its first bike swap ever!  If you have been hankering to get on the road or trails this summer, be sure to check out the swap to find the perfect bike for your riding needs.

The swap is June 27 & 28 at S&W Sports, 296 S. Main Street, Concord

(603) 228-1441

Sale hours:

Saturday, June 27, 9am-5pm

Sunday, June 28, 10am-12pm

Do you have a bike to donate? Donations are being accepted now through Friday, June 26.  If you would like to drop off a bike to sell (consignment), you must do so on Friday, June 26, 9am-8pm.   Donate a bike for consignment for 25/75.

The event will benefit the Central NH Bicycle Coalition and will fund bicycle sharing and complete street projects in the Greater Concord area.

Bikes (if not sold) and/or checks to be picked up Sunday, June 28 1-5pm. (Not responsible for bikes not picked up on Sunday)

The Central NH Bicycle Coalition is:

Program for Alternative Transportation and Health (PATH)

S&W Sports

Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire

Contact Nik Coates at ncoates@cnhrpc.org or 603-226-6020 if you have any questions or bikes to donate/consign.

We’ll see you in Concord this weekend!

With summer on the way, public transit systems often offer great deals for summer riding.  This is the first in a series of  blog posts that highlight public transportation systems in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont and some of the great deals they offer to get out of the house this summer.  First up:

METRO (Portland, Maine)

The METRO serves the City of Portland and the surrounding communities of Falmouth, South Portland, and Westbrook.

METRO Summer Youth Pass
The summer youth pass is back! For only $20, children and teens (18 and younger) can ride the METRO all summer, with unlimited rides.  This is a really great deal and it is the perfect way for youth to get around Greater Portland in a safe, green way!  Bike racks and wheelchair lifts are available on all buses.

From the METRO:

Head to the beach, go shopping, visit an island (take the #8 METRO Bus to Casco Bay Lines Ferry Terminal), hike Portland Trails or see a movie. Visit your friends or take the bus to your job or summer camp.  Visit the METRO website for more fun summer trip ideas!

You can buy your Summer Youth Pass at these locations:

**METRO Downtown Transportation Center (PULSE) on Elm Street

**Participating Hannaford’s and Shaw’s Supermarket locations on bus routes (Youth Passes are not available at Hannaford’s on Forest Avenue)

**Casco Bay Ferry Terminal

**Portland and South Portland City Hall METRO office, 114 Valley Street

METRO Free Ride Home Program (Portland, Maine)

Also, did you know that if you take the bus to our Union Station Goodwill on St. John or the Forest Avenue Goodwill and show the driver your receipt for a purchase of $5 or more, you get the ride the bus for free?!  Leave your car at home this summer and enjoy a free bus ride on bus!  Please visit the METRO site for more details.