MeVa buses begin running Sundays starting this weekend along seven of its local routes.
The transit authority said the routes will follow Saturday service and were chosen based on Saturday ridership, input from passengers and the community and routes with high concentrations of Sunday employment, shopping and places of worship. Sunday service serves every fixed route community except for Groveland and Newburyport. MeVa added it will also extend Saturday service on Route 1, which connects Lawrence with Haverhill via the Loop, until 7 p.m. and will run on 30-minute frequencies all day long.
MeVa quoted 18-year-old Methuen resident Joey McDonald as saying, “My mom works full time at the Loop. So, now she can ride the free #1 bus to work on Sundays instead of paying expensive cab fares.” “On my end,” the quotation continued, “I will be able to go to the gym on Sundays, so the added service will keep me healthy!”
Transit authority officials credited the state legislature and Gov. Maura Healey for providing extra money for the expanded, free service.
Besides Route 1, Sunday service begins for Route 2, connecting Lawrence with Andover via South Broadway; Route 8, connecting Lawrence with North Andover via Parker Street/South Union Street and Colonial Heights; Route 10, connecting Lawrence with Methuen via Broadway; Route 13, connecting Haverhill with Plaistow, N.H., via Main Street and North Avenue; Route 17, connecting Haverhill with Merrimac, Amesbury and Salisbury Beach; and Route 24, connecting Lawrence with Lowell via Route 110.
Buses wil depart hourly from MeVa’s Transportation Centers at Buckley and Washington Square between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Other additions are service on such holidays as Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day, Patriots’ Day, Juneteenth, Columbus Day and Veterans Day. The Route 14 will also extend from Ward Hill to Osgood Landing and the new Amazon distribution facility, while the Route 3 bus will start serving the Andover/North Andover YMCA via Route 133.