Island Explorer

Public Transportation

The Island Explorer features eight bus routes linking hotels, inns, and campgrounds with destinations in Acadia National Park and neighboring village centers.  

Clean propane-powered vehicles offer Mount Desert Island visitors and residents free transportation to hiking trails, carriage roads, island beaches, and in-town shops and restaurants.

About Downeast Transportation - Island Explorer

Downeast transportation, Inc ("DIT"), a non-profit organization that provides public transportation in Hancock County through a contract agreement with the State Department of Transportation, provides year-round, fixed-route, midday service to 17 towns in the County plus subscription commuter service to Jackson Laboratory and other agencies. To mitigate summer months' traffic congestion, DTI provides a seasonal, propane-powered shuttle service, the "Island Explore", for transportation throughout Acadia National Park and the surrounding communities with a passenger hub located in Bar Harbor. The Island Explorer currently operates 30 propane powered seasonal vehicles and carries over 400,000 passengers on a no-fee basis during the average summer season. Financial support for the buses and the operations are provided by the United States National Park Service, federal and state grants, and contributions from local municipalities, businesses and non-profit agencies. The State Department of Transportation, Acadia National Park and Friends of Acadia recently partnered to build a new transit hub in Trenton on the Route 3 approach to Acadia with opened February 2012.