Best areas to live/rent apt in Portland ME (Washington: sale, condo)

[jeremywolf81]

Originally Posted by Rhapsodie2014

Thank you......just thought everything out of Boston would be a cake walk.....................NOT necessarily tho.
Also, as rule of thumb, most likely OUT of city, like So. Portland etc is cheaper and you get more for your money......but I do not have a car at the moment and must walk or bus to Maine Med. Cnt.

A car is pretty much required in Maine, even in Portland. Yes Portland has a vague public transportation system, but it's really geared toward (the schedule and destinations) more the tourist crowd or the "once a week getting to the grocery store/mall/doctor's appointment" types.

[Rhapsodie2014]

Thanks...so I learned the hard way..

[atrixwolfe]

So Rhapsodie, I see this thread started back in 2014 and then got resurrected. It tends to happen around here since our activity is pretty lite. The question is did you move here yet? or are you in boston or LA.

[dubthang]

Originally Posted by jeremywolf81

A car is pretty much required in Maine, even in Portland. Yes Portland has a vague public transportation system, but it's really geared toward (the schedule and destinations) more the tourist crowd or the "once a week getting to the grocery store/mall/doctor's appointment" types.

I don't agree with this at all. Many people ride Metro in Portland. Metro has over 100,000 riders a month, and that number is growing. The routes are being tweaked to be more user friendly, and to provide better access to vital areas in Portland. This August will see a roll out of new Sunday service, and some heavily adjusted schedules. This will create a more accurate service, and there will also be a new website for passengers that will allow them to track the buses in real time. There will also be apps available to locate your bus, new shelters, new bus stop destination signs, and Freeport service in the spring.

[Rhapsodie2014]

Originally Posted by atrixwolfe

So Rhapsodie, I see this thread started back in 2014 and then got resurrected. It tends to happen around here since our activity is pretty lite. The question is did you move here yet? or are you in boston or LA.

Dear Atrixwolfe;

Thanks for asking....lol.....yes I started post last summer,,,,,I am going to sell house in CA and move to Maine .....coming back again to look around in June.....I have much work to do.....

[HighTechRocker]

Originally Posted by dubthang

I don't agree with this at all. Many people ride Metro in Portland. Metro has over 100,000 riders a month, and that number is growing. The routes are being tweaked to be more user friendly, and to provide better access to vital areas in Portland. This August will see a roll out of new Sunday service, and some heavily adjusted schedules. This will create a more accurate service, and there will also be a new website for passengers that will allow them to track the buses in real time. There will also be apps available to locate your bus, new shelters, new bus stop destination signs, and Freeport service in the spring.

So that's where you work between Valley and St. John

[dubthang]

Originally Posted by HighTechRocker

So that's where you work between Valley and St. John

Not only do I work there, but I have been putting in many long hours to build a better bus system for the public. Change can be slow when it involves federal, state, and various municipalities, but it is happening. Unfortunately, Metro has a long standing reputation that hinders its growth. That rep is often spread by people that do not use (or understand) the system. We are working very hard to remove that stigma, and create a system that sees continuous improvement year after year. There are big improvements coming this August.

[jeremywolf81]

Originally Posted by dubthang

Not only do I work there, but I have been putting in many long hours to build a better bus system for the public. Change can be slow when it involves federal, state, and various municipalities, but it is happening. Unfortunately, Metro has a long standing reputation that hinders its growth. That rep is often spread by people that do not use (or understand) the system. We are working very hard to remove that stigma, and create a system that sees continuous improvement year after year. There are big improvements coming this August.

So... you don't agree with me but then you basically admit it's not that good yet and has a reputation for being unreliable?

[dubthang]

Originally Posted by jeremywolf81

So... you don't agree with me but then you basically admit it's not that good yet and has a reputation for being unreliable?

Incorrect. You stated that one needs a car to live in Portland, and that Metro is geared towards tourists.

There is a large population on people in Portland that don't have cars. My gf is one of them. They rely on the bus to get around, and have done so for years.

Metro does not have a single route that is geared toward tourists. This is not how public transit works. Being a quasi governmental agency means that we cannot aim our services at people who don't live in the Greater Portland area. Tourists make up a very small portion of our ridership.

Further more, I stated that Metro does not have the best reputation. I did not state what that reputation was. There are many residents that depend on us on a daily basis. Many of these folks like our service. We get plenty of compliments to back this up. However, like any business, we also get complaints. Our route structure is outdated. We are making adjustments to better suit the current population. This means a lot of research must be conducted to be sure that we are making changes that benefit our ridership. For example, we rolled out a revamped Route 1 bus a little while ago. We standardized the times, we added access to the PTC, and we expanded service to Munjoy Hill at night. This has been a great success for us. These types of changes are being pushed onto the other routes.

And nowhere did I say that Metro was unreliable.

[blueskiesforever]

Buyers Market??? Are you serious??? There is nothing for sale, what is is not that nice, and is super expensive!