PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — On Wednesday morning, Michelle Clevette of Presque Isle was waiting at the Foster’s On the Run gas station to catch a Cyr bus to Bangor and then a Concord Coach bus to Portland.
“We’re going to Portland to meet up with my brother. My nephew is getting married in Connecticut,” Clevette said as the Cyr bus was pulling in around 7:20 a.m.
“I’ve never been on the bus,” she said. But a friend told her, “It’s not bad.”
Aroostook County has been divided over the news of United Airlines’ service to Newark, New Jersey, replacing PenAir’s service to Boston under the federally-subsidized Essential Air Service program.
The change, starting in July, presents a new difficulty for people who’ve flown PenAir for medical treatment in Boston. It’s also a disappointment for others who enjoyed flying PenAir for a quick trip to New England’s largest city to see a sports game or visit family.
But for people who can’t drive or can’t afford to fly, there has long been the option of the Cyr Bus Line, offering a daily round trip service to Bangor, where travelers can then catch Concord Coach buses to Portland, Boston and other places.
The John T Cyr & Sons Company, founded in Old Town in 1906 by Caribou-born John Cyr, started the Aroostook to Bangor bus service in 1984, said Rick Soules, the company’s general manager.
On average each year, Soules said, about 15,000 passengers ride the Cyr Bus Line, which makes 9 stops between Caribou, where it departs at 7 a.m., and Bangor, where it arrives at 10:50 a.m. In the evening, the bus leaves Bangor at 6 p.m. and ends in Caribou at 10:20 p.m.
For comparison, PenAir counted about 28,000 round trip passengers in 2017, while United predicts garnering at least 31,000.
And, like the air service out of Presque Isle, the Cyr Bus Line could not operate without a government subsidy. Soules said the company receives a federal grant each year under a rural transit program, which this year amounts to $215,000. Under its contract for service to and from Presque Isle, United Airlines will receive an annual subsidy of $4.7 million.
“Without that assistance, ticket prices would be too high,” Soules said, referring to the bus service. “Without it, I don’t think it would continue running.”
Round trip Cyr Bus tickets cost $51.50 from Caribou to Bangor, and round trip Concord Coach tickets from Bangor to Boston are $75. PenAir’s ticket pricing started at $117 one way, with some special marketing of $200 round trip tickets, while tickets for United’s service to Newark will start at $143 one-way.
The northern Maine bus service is a small part of the Cyr company’s overall business, which focuses on bus tours and school buses. But it’s a lot of work logistically and to consistently staff with drivers, Soules said.
“We think the service is important to run. We do feel kind of a commitment. It holds its own, but as fuel prices go up, it does pinch us a little bit.”
At the same time, when gas prices go up — as they have been in the last year — more people tend to take the bus rather than drive from Aroostook or northern Penobscot counties to the Bangor area, Soules said.
The bus service’s customers represent a diverse demographic, from Amish families to senior citizens with medical appointments in Bangor to college students and Appalachian Trail hikers, Soules said.
“It’s all over the board. That’s why it’s needed. So many people do need the service,” Soules said. “If anybody has any suggestions on how to improve the service, we’d be happy to hear it from them.”
For more information, visit johntcyrandsons.com.
