Bates College
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Bates College - Transportation - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.31

Transportation

Quick Stats

Best Ways to Get Around Town Walking
Best Ways to Get to the Airport Mermaid Transportation provides shuttle services between the Bates campus and Portland, Manchester and Logan Airports. If you schedule well ahead of time, the price is cheaper. www.gomermaid.com (800) 696-2463 To/from Portland, One Way: $48 To/from Logan or Manchester, One Way: $64

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Lewiston doesn’t have much in the way of public transportation. There is a bus, although very, very few Bates students ever use it, and many have never even heard of it. Taxis are available, but, again, not many students use them. Even first years will have a few friends with cars, and students either drive themselves or they beg for rides. There is a school-run shuttle on the weekends, which goes to points of interest in the Lewiston and Auburn areas, and it even sells discount tickets to the Flagship Cinema in Lewiston. However, this is often a last resort for students because it’s inconvenient to plan your trip around the shuttle’s one-hour-apart arrivals and departures, and the shuttles don’t always run as late as some movies do. Craftier students send one or two people ahead on the shuttle to buy cheap movie tickets and then bring a car so that they can all ride home together after the movie gets out. Batesies are economical geniuses.

Probably the most frequently used forms of transportation for Batesies are walking or riding a bike. Even Wal-Mart is within walking distance if you’re really determined, though walking back laden with all your purchases can be strenous. Many spots in Lewiston are within a 10- to 15-minute walk from campus. Around half of the Bates student body owns a bike. The College also organizes trips to a number of cities in New England, as well as to events like the Common Ground Fair. It’s best to have a car on campus because it can be inconvenient to rely on your friends or the school for transportation, but if you don’t have a car, you can still get around. Public transportation in Lewiston isn’t very reliable (or available for that matter), but Bates has made an effort to compensate, and generally, students’ transportation needs are met—even if it means an hour wait in the cold.

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Bates Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Transportation at Bates College

BatKB

'13

English

There is not much to do outside of...

There is not much to do outside of campus in Lewiston, especially if you're underage. However, Bates occasionally provides buses to Freeport and Portland, as well as a bus that runs to Wal-Mart and the Lewiston Mall. But I have never used these. I recommend finding a friend who has a car freshman year (your JA probably will) and using that as a way to get off campus when you really need to. After that, I highly recommend getting a car on campus if you can, although parking permits are tough to get.

Mar 01, 2009

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Transportation at Bates College

BatAF

'12

Social Sciences

There are some buses that go to...

There are some buses that go to the mall and downtown Lewiston, but other than that, if you don't know someone with a car, you're definitely stuck in the Bates Bubble.

Feb 17, 2009

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Transportation at Bates College

BatMS

'12

English

Public transportation isn't so...

Public transportation isn't so reliable in Lewiston, but Bates provides great transportation for students. There's a shuttle that runs during the day on weekdays for fieldwork and errands and all day and night on weekends for trips to the mall, the movies, and Wal-Mart. Bates also has two Zipcars that are available to rent by the hour, with no need to pay for gas or insurance. And, if it's really cold, security usually won't mind giving you a ride back to your dorm or to the health center.

Feb 16, 2009

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the convenience of the following transit options

Rate the convenience of long-distance transportation to travel between home and school

How convenient is the campus-provided transportation?

How necessary is it to have a car on campus?

How easy is it to get around town?

Campus ShuttleWhat's This?

Security van

The Bates campus is so small that no SafeRides is necessary in the daytime hours, but at night, the school offers a shuttle which transports students to different points on campus

(207) 786-6999

After Dark

Public TransitWhat's This?

Bates Shuttle Service

Bates College sponsors a shuttle service that runs on weekends to areas with movie theaters, restaurants, grocery stores, and malls. The School also runs weekly bus trips to Portland, Boston, regional ski areas, Freeport, and other locations. These trips often fill up quickly, so it’s a good idea to register as soon as possible. The Bates Shuttle Service is available in the daytime; students call in the morning and arrange for a ride into the city for doctor appointments or jobs.

Nearest AirportWhat's This?

Portland International Jetport

The Portland International Jetport is about 35 miles and roughly 50 minutes driving time from Bates.

The Manchester Airport, NH

The Manchester Airport is 130 miles and about 2.5 hours driving time from Bates.

Logan Airport

Logan Airport is 140 miles and approximately 2.5 hours driving time from Bates.

Nearest Passenger BusWhat's This?

Vermont Transit

Schedules and tickets are available at the bookstore in Chase Hall.

(800) 451-3293 or (207) 782-0311

www.vermonttransit.com

Greyhound

(800) 229-9424

www.greyhound.com

Nearest Passenger TrainWhat's This?

Amtrak Downeaster

Daily service from Portland to Southern Maine and the North Station in Boston.

(800) 872-7245

www.thedowneaster.com

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at Bates

Name: Jessie Sawyer

Hometown: Farmington, CT

Major: English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a Spanish minor

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