MeVA to Increase Frequency of Bus Trips Throughout Merrimack Valley

Beginning in July the frequency of bus service between Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen and Lowell will increase during the week.

Merrimack Valley Transit, or MeVA Administrator Noah S. Berger, a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast program,” said beginning Monday, July 7, the bus will run every 20 minutes. Currently, service is provided every 30 minutes to Methuen, Lawrence and Lowell from its hub in Washington Square, Haverhill. Berger said he is excited for the service improvement.

“Frequency makes all the difference. You don’t have to fumble through a schedule to figure out when the next bus is. You just literally go out to where the bus is and know that at the very worst you will have to wait 19 minutes, but most of time it will probably be five or 10 minutes,” Berger said.

As reported by WHAV in December 2024, the increased service is made possible through at $1.2 million “connectivity” grant the transit authority received from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The bus, which originates as Route 1 in Haverhill, makes one more stop at Lowell and River Streets and then four stops in Methuen before arriving at the McGovern Transportation Center in Lawrence 45 minutes later. The bus then becomes Route 24 and proceeds to Lowell which takes about 40 minutes. It then makes the return trip.

“What that does is tie the four gateway cities of Haverhill, Methuen, Lawrence and Lowell together with really robust service so we couldn’t be more excited,” Berger added.

Berger said Route 24 has the second highest ridership of all the routes in the system.

Berger also said four new “low floor” 12-passenger vans will go into service this month as part of MeVa’s on-demand service. The low floor design allows those who use mobility devices such as wheelchairs and scooters to roll right onto the van rather than having to negotiate steps. The design accommodates strollers as well. Five more vans will be added to the fleet in July allowing the transit authority to remove older vans from service. Then an additional six will arrive next year.

Finally, Berger asked for the public’s help in finding a new location for MeVa’s bus hub. He pointed out Haverhill’s hub in Washington Square has never worked well because the site is too small to accommodate buses and passengers comfortably.

Berger said he is working with the city to find a location, and that two possibilities are Bailey Boulevard near the Haverhill Police Station and the Granite Street garage the transit authority already owns.

“It’s got to be a central location. It has got to have enough space for the buses and enough space to have that welcoming environment for passengers.” Berger said.

Berger said that while there is no timeframe associated with the hub relocation, he believes with the various redevelopment projects going on in downtown Haverhill, the time is ripe for finding a better, more welcoming location for a new central bus depot.

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