Concord Coach Lines
Concord Coach Lines, Inc., formerly known as Concord Trailways, and often referred to as Concord Coach, is an inter-city bus company based in Concord, New Hampshire.
 | |
| Founded | 1967 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 7 Langdon St, Concord, New Hampshire |
| Service area | Maine and New Hampshire |
| Service type | intercity coach service |
| Alliance | Dartmouth Coach; Boston Express |
| Routes | I-95 Boston, MA to Bangor, ME; I-93 Boston, MA to Berlin, NH |
| Destinations | Maine Seacoast & I-93 corridor |
| Hubs | Concord, NH; Boston, MA; Portland, ME |
| Website | concordcoachlines.com |
The company was founded in 1967, and expanded in 1988 with the purchase of the Trailways franchise. Service to Maine commenced in 1992. The company's relationship with Trailways Transportation System was dissolved in 2008, and the name reverted to "Concord Coach Lines."[1]
Equipment
The current fleet consists entirely of Prevost X3-45 and MCI D4500 buses. The buses wear a red, white, and blue color scheme over a white base. Previous vehicles in the fleet have included the MCI J4500, MC-8, and MC-9.
Service area
Concord Coach Lines operates along the Interstate 95 corridor between Bangor, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts, as well as the Interstate 93 corridor in New Hampshire with service from Berlin and Littleton through Concord to Boston and Logan International Airport.
Specifically it connects the following locations:
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- New York
Connections
- Amtrak Northeast Corridor service at Boston South Station
- Amtrak Downeaster at Portland Transportation Center
Concord Coach Lines provides Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service from Portland to Bangor and from Manchester to Boston.
Rider controversies
On May 28, 2018, a Customs and Border Patrol agent was recorded asking passengers about their citizenship status while they waited at the Bangor, Maine, terminal to board a bus to Boston. When asked, a Concord Coach employee stated that passengers must be US citizens to ride. Concord Coach Lines later released a statement on Facebook clarifying their policies, indicating that the employee was unprepared to answer that question, and that company-wide training had been put in place to address the issue.[2][3]
The following August, a 14-year old Pakistani-American was prevented from boarding a bus leaving Rockland, Maine, by the driver. Despite being accompanied by an adult, the bus driver asked him for identification and would not let him board without it. The bus left without the teen, who had to ask the family of his friend to get a ride back to Massachusetts. Concoard Coach Lines policy does not state that children have to show ID. Concord denied that the teen was stranded due to the color of their skin, stating that the driver did not notice the teen's ethnicity.[4][5]
References
- About Concord Coach Lines Archived 2009-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
- Acquisto, Alex (June 18, 2018). "Bus line employee falsely told passengers they must be US citizens to ride, company says". Bangor Daily News. Bangor Maine. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- "Concord Coach Lines Press Release on Twitter". www.twitter.com. June 15, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- Flaherty, Nora (August 25, 2018). "Pakistani-American minor kept from boarding Concord Coach for lack of ID". Bangor Daily News. Bangor Maine. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- Marissa, Marissa (August 24, 2018). "14-year-old boy denied ride on Concord Coach Lines without ID". Retrieved May 30, 2019.