Ok, so Maine has a successful vanpool program serving 225 commuters riding in 27 vans, and demand is up. The state offers almost no other public transit options. So this May Maine is going to end the vanpool program and give it to a private company from Michigan? Did I hear that right? This from the governor who says Maine is open for business?

Makes my blood boil!

Questions for Maine’s Department of Transportation (DOT):

How will giving Maine’s vanpools to a private out-of-state company help Maine’s economy and make commuting more affordable for Mainers? Don’t private companies seek profits?

Why does the State subsidize roads, bridges, ports and airports, but it won’t help vanpools? How much did the State contribute to the vanpools?

Why is the State considering spending $300,000 to subsidize a privately-owned  East-West Highway that would go from Canada to Canada, cutting Maine’s North Woods in half?

Does the State want to put 225 more commuters on the road? Provide more parking spaces? Pay for more expensive road widening? Cause more wear and tear on Maine roads? Create more air pollution? Generate more global warming pollution? Send more dollars out-of-state?  Export more dollars to regimes that don’t like the U.S.? Make Maine less energy independent?

Now you know how I really feel. You can let DOT Commissioner David Bernhardt know how you really feel by sending an email to: exec.mainedot@maine.gov

–Judy Berk, NRCM Advocacy Communications Director