HOULTON, Maine – Getting to and from appointments and shopping plazas is now a little bit easier for tribal citizens for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.
On July 30, the tribe announced it was rolling out a new transit program for its citizens, providing transportation to locations around the Houlton community and back to the tribal reservation. Given the lack of public transportation options in the Houlton area, the Transit Program was created to assist those tribal citizens who are unable to get to appointments, pay bills or have to walk several miles to reach the nearest grocery store to purchase items.
“We saw a need in our community to provide safe transportation for people who do not have any,” explained Krista Crouse, administrative planner/planning department assistant for the tribe. “Our hope is that tribal residents will utilize this feature and the more that it is used, the more we can expand it in the future.”
Sheila Leblanc will be driving the tribe’s new transit route, while Tyler Connors has been added as an on-demand driver who will serve the community on a first-come, first-served basis.
The transit route will feature two pick-up locations on the reservation – one at Maliseet Drive and the second at Clover Circle. The Maliseet Drive pickup location will be at the loop on the end of Maliseet Drive, while the Clover circle stop will be in front of the mailboxes on Clover Circle.
The regular transit route will include stops at Walmart, Hannaford, Andy’s IGA, Houlton Regional Hospital, the Cigarette Shopper, Houlton Water Company, Katahdin Valley Health Center, the U.S. Post Office and County Yankee all at designated times.
Transit routes will be as followed:
Transit Route 1 — Maliseet Drive, 7:25 a.m.; Clover Circle, 7:32 a.m.; Tribal Administration Building, 7:38; Walmart, 7:49 a.m.; Hannaford, 7:52 a.m.; Andy’s IGA, 7:58 a.m.; Houlton Regional Hospital, 8:04 a.m.; Cigarette Shopper, 8:08 a.m.; Houlton Water Company, 8:13 a.m.; KVHC, 8:16 a.m.; Post Office, 8:20 a.m.; County Yankee, 8:26 a.m.; and Maliseet Drive, 8:35 a.m.
Transit Route 2 — Maliseet Drive, 9 a.m.; Clover Circle, 9:07 a.m.; Tribal Administration Building, 9:15 a.m.; Walmart, 9:30 a.m.; Hannaford, 9:36 a.m.; Andy’s IGA, 9:45 a.m.; HRH, 9:55 a.m.; Cigarette Shopper, 10:01 a.m.; Houlton Water Company, 10:10 a.m.; KVHC, 10:16 a.m.; Post Office, 10:25 a.m.; County Yankee, 10:32 a.m.; and Maliseet Drive, 10:45 a.m.
Transit Route 3 — Maliseet Drive, 12 p.m.; Clover Circle, 12:07 p.m.; Tribal Administration, 12:15 p.m.; Walmart, 12:30 p.m.; Hannaford, 12:36 p.m.; Andy’s IGA, 12:45 p.m.; HRH, 12:55 p.m.; Cigarette Shopper, 1:01 p.m.; Houlton Water Company, 1:10 p.m.; KVHC, 1:16 p.m.; Post Office, 1:25 p.m.; County Yankee, 1:32 p.m.; and Maliseet Drive, 1:45 p.m.
Transit Route 4 — Maliseet Drive, 2 p.m.; Clover Circle, 2:07 p.m.; Tribal Administration, 2:15 p.m.; Walmart, 2:30 p.m.; Hannaford, 2:36 p.m.; Andy’s IGA, 2:45 p.m.; HRH, 2:55 p.m.; Cigarette Shopper, 3:01 p.m.; Houlton Water Company, 3:10 p.m.; KVHC, 3:16 p.m.; Post Office, 3:25 p.m.; County Yankee, 3:32 p.m.; and Maliseet Drive, 3:45 p.m.
Additional stops may be added at a later time if a need is determined. All four transit routes will be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays, only routes 3-4 will be available.
Transit routes will have a few dates that will not be in service, or have limited service. Those dates are: Aug. 14 (Route 3-4 will only be available); Aug. 20, there will be no transit service available; and Aug. 21, (Route 3-4 will only be available).
To reach LeBlanc, please call 207-538-1543. Residents wishing to book a ride with Connors may do so by calling 207-538-1553 to schedule a pick-up.
