MeVa, the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority, is revamping its popular weekend Beach Bus for 2023 with fare-free, express service between downtown Lawrence and Salisbury Beach.
The route will run every Saturday throughout the summer, beginning at McGovern Garage, which will offer free parking on Saturdays for bus riders. The bus will continue to Buckley Transportation Center in downtown Lawrence, then make local stops along Rt. 110 before running express on Interstate 495 to Salisbury Beach.
| MeVa beach bus departure times (Saturdays only): | ||
| McGovern Garage | 9:15 a.m | 11:15 a.m. |
| Jackson and Swan St. | 9:30 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| Return from Salisbury Beach to Lawrence | 3:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
In a press release, MeVa Chief Communications Officer Niorka Mendez said that access to the beach is an equity issue.
“Even though Massachusetts has a beautiful coastline, beach access has not always been available to all communities such as Lawrence with higher concentrations of minority and lower income residents,” said Mendez.
As with all of MeVa's other local transit routes, the new Beach Bus will be fare-free.
The Beach Bus will complement MeVa's new Route 17, which launched in April and offers hourly local service 6 days a week between Haverhill, Amesbury, and Salisbury Beach.
