How It Works

• All COAST bus routes are open to the public.
• Buses will fill on a first-come, first-served basis.
• The buses seat 37-39 people, with room for standees up to a total of nearly 80 passengers. We’ve factored in these limits into our route design to minimize the potential that anyone would need to stand for much more than 10 minutes.
• Our ADA-compliant buses are able to transport two passengers using wheelchairs or other mobility devices.
• Each bus can carry 2-3 bikes on the front bicycle rack on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be prepared to lock your bicycle at your pickup-point if the rack is already full.
• Schedules are approximate. Be at your stop about 5 minutes before the published time to ensure you don’t miss the bus. The morning bus will not depart any time point early. The afternoon return bus will not depart pickup locations early, but all stops after a certain point become drop-off only, and may not run according to schedule. Please refer to the schedule pamphlet for details.

Fares and Passes

• COAST routes are a cash-or-pass-only system. You must either pay the cash fare when boarding each time, or obtain a monthly pass. Rates are set in the published bus schedules.
• Monthly passes are available from the COAST office. PNSY employees may be eligible to obtain passes through the Navy Transportation Incentive Program. If you work at PNSY, please contact Gerald (Bud) Boarts at 207-438-4988.
• The monthly passes for the Clipper Connection register you for the Guaranteed Ride Home Program, explained elsewhere in this guide.
• A monthly pass must be presented on board the bus each time when boarding.
• Passes are not transferrable. Your pass is for you and only you.
• Passes are for individuals only; there is not currently a family-pass or any allowance for guests accompanying the pass holder.
• If you lose or misplace your pass, you should be prepared to pay cash that day until a replacement pass can be obtained. Do not rely on “knowing the driver” or “The driver let me on this morning.” Replacements for lost passes will be made once at no cost.
• Manufacture, sale, or ownership of counterfeit passes is illegal and will not be tolerated.

Service Issues

• COAST is the main contact if you have questions, complaints, or suggestions about our service – please do not contact staff at PNSY with these issues. If you need to contact us, you can reach us by phone at 603-743-5777.
• Questions about the schedule, if the bus is late, stop locations, etc. go to Dispatch. Press 1.
• Complaints (and commendations!) about the service go to our Supervisors Desk. Press 4.
• Suggestions, planning, and service requests go to our Manager, preferably emailed to coast.nh@gmail.com, subj. “Clipper Connection”
• COAST will operate service in just about any weather. In the 2008 ice storm, COAST buses continued to run without incident, despite no power to our radio tower or dispatch center. In the unlikely event of a major service interruption, notice will be posted through as many of the following means as possible:
• All local radio stations
• New Hampshire’s WMUR and Portland’s WCSH
• Our Twitter feed features regular updating for service conditions. @COASTbus (www.twitter.com/COASTbus)
• Our website will be updated for planned service outages
• Our phone system greeting will always be updated during bad weather with up-to-the-minute status of bus departures.
• COAST observes six holidays on which no service is operated. Those are New Year’s, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

The Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Program is available to registered users of the COAST Clipper Connection routes. GRH allows commuters an emergency ride home on short notice, helping bus users feel more secure knowing they are not trapped at work.

Quick Guide

1. Clipper Connection monthly pass holders are automatically registered for the GRH service, or you can separately register with the COAST office.
2. If you have an unexpected emergency and need to return home (or to your car), you can call COAST (603-743-5777) for a ride up to 4 times in a 365-day period. Monthly pass holders receive 4 rides for free as part of their monthly pass fee.
3. When you call, the dispatcher will exchange some information from you regarding where to pick up and drop off, and let you know how soon your trip will be ready (usually 20 minutes maximum wait).

Full Details

1. Users must register for the program.
1. Monthly pass holders are registered automatically and renewed as long as their monthly pass is valid.
2. Occasional users who choose not to purchase the Clipper Connection monthly pass can separately register for the GRH program through the COAST office but will be charged a flat rate per trip (see below).
2. Registered users are eligible to take advantage of the program, subject to the following limitations:
1. Trip purpose must be an emergency, such as a personal or family illness.
2. Emergencies do not include personal medical transportation to a hospital.
3. Events that the employee knew about before leaving for work that morning, such as scheduled doctor’s appointments or scheduled overtime, are not eligible reasons for a GRH.
4. Users may request a trip up to 4 times in a 365-day period (beginning from the first use). The trip fee is currently a flat-rate $10 per trip. Clipper Connection monthly pass holders will receive 4 rides at no charge.
5. Users who have reached the limit of available trips will be referred to a local taxi company and will be required to pay the cost of the trip without support from COAST.
3. As soon as the user knows they will need a guaranteed ride home, they must contact COAST dispatch (603-743-5777). COAST will make every effort to pickup within 20-30 minutes of the request.
1. Pickups for riders at PNSY will be made at the morning drop-off location at the intersection of Government St. and Stoddard St. COAST will not pick up on-base at PNSY.
2. Pickups for riders at the Pease Tradeport will be at the nearest Clipper Connection busstop to their work.
3. Pickups for riders in downtown Portsmouth will be at Market Square.
4. The driver will bring the passenger to the bus stop they boarded at, so the user can retrieve their car or walk back to their house.
5. This is a one-way trip only. COAST will not return the employee to work. Additionally, the GRH cannot be used to get to work, including if the employee misses the bus in the morning.
4. When taking the trip request, the COAST dispatcher will confirm:
1. That the caller is registered for the GRH program.
2. The caller’s requested pickup and drop-off locations.
3. If possible, the caller should give COAST a cell phone number in case the dispatcher needs to get back in touch with the caller
4. Finally, the dispatcher will give an estimate on when the vehicle will arrive at the pickup location. The dispatcher will describe the COAST vehicle to the passenger (it will typically be a minivan instead of a bus). If the passenger is visually impaired, the dispatcher will ensure that the driver is prepared to ask aloud for the caller.
5. Callers requesting a GRH trip who do not hold a monthly pass must pay for their trip with either cash or a check. Payment must be made at the time of pickup or the trip will be denied.

Why aren’t you serving Sanford, Rochester, etc.?

COAST is beginning this service in our existing primary service area. Due to Federal regulations, we will not be able to operate our own buses as far into Maine as North Berwick, Sanford, Biddeford, etc. We also understand that there are a number of others out there running their own vanpools and buses to PNSY. We hope to work cooperatively with others providing transportation to supplement those options, not supplant them. Our goal is to see as many people using community transportation (transit and vanpools) as possible.

Will there be a morning pickup in Portsmouth headed to the Shipyard?

At this time, neither of the two introductory routes will pick up in Portsmouth heading to PNSY. However, we are already in the planning phase for a route to make pickups in Portsmouth, knowing that this is in high-demand. Please keep watching for more information.

I’m currently in a vanpool – can I drive to a COAST stop and take the bus instead?

Because Clipper Connection routes are public transportation operated by a public agency, anyone is free to choose our routes. If you are currently in a vanpool that works for you, please consider that. From COAST’s perspective, if many people abandon their current vanpool or private bus options to use our service, we will not have improved any of the transportation and energy problems we set out to solve, and many people like you who have invested personal money into their vanpool or bus will lose out.

Will I really have to stand?

If the routes are very popular, we may have to ask some of those who board at the last few stops to stand for part of the trip. Passengers will offer seats to those who may have difficulty standing, as needed. Our goal in planning is to strike a balance of riders so that the bus is comfortably full, but not packed.

Will my car be safe where it is parked?

COAST has striven to identify high-visibility parking lots and create agreements with the property owners. Where possible, COAST will use state or municipally owned park & ride lots. However, as with any public parking, COAST and the parking lot owners cannot be held responsible for theft or damages. Do not leave valuables in your car.

Can I wait inside my car until the bus arrives?

This depends on where you park; for lots where the bus will pull into the lot and pick up there, you should be able to wait in your car until you see the bus pull into the lot. The driver will wait a few moments to make sure people get out of their cars and walk safely to the bus. However, several locations along the route include stops that the bus will pass if there is no one waiting. Parking in South Berwick is an example of this; riders must leave their cars and walk to the bus stop before the bus is scheduled to pass, or they will miss the bus. Please check the bus stop listing or park & ride info for more details on a specific location.

Can I pay with a credit or debit card? Do drivers make change?

Unfortunately, COAST does not currently have an electronic payment system. We hope to launch an electronic fare and pass system a few months after the new routes begin. Drivers do not make change, so please have the exact cash fare ready

Current routes (more planned for mid-2012)