Ask Maggie: Advance Transit By the Numbers, and a Bus Ride to the Big City

Q: I would love to know how many buses Advance Transit has because the numbers on the buses are so high! This year I purchased an ad on a bus for work so I was always looking out for that bus and I saw it all the time. I'd love to know how they're shuffled and if drivers have personal buses, or favorite ads. 

—Honor Hingston-Cox, Lebanon

A: At the risk of this column becoming the Honor & Maggie Show (here’s episodes one and two, and by the way, that show would be great), I took on this question because I’m also bus-curious. Like Honor, I previously purchased an Advance Transit ad placement and cheered “my” bus when I saw it around town (shoutout to bus 1601). And I’ve long been a little embarrassed that, despite praising car-free transportation infrastructure, and despite Advance Transit’s stops within short walks of my home and job, I’d never actually ridden the bus.

Time to hop aboard.

First, the easy part. Advance Transit has 31 fixed-route buses, according to Ashley Manning, the bus service’s interim executive director. Painted white and sky blue, the fleet includes a mix of 30- and 35-foot buses produced by the manufacturer Gillig, plus some shuttle buses. The bus numbers start in the thousands because the first two digits represent the manufacture date (for example, bus 1601 was built in 2016), while the second two digits relate to the length of the bus and how many buses Advance Transit purchased that year. Drivers mix their routes; buses less so. For their part, advertisers sign on to share particular market areas.

Simple enough. But it was surprisingly more difficult to learn drivers’ favorite ads. I didn’t want to distract them behind the wheel, so I hung around the Kilton Library recently, trying to catch them between runs. One driver told me he liked the CCBA ads, and another told me he’d have to think about it, but then — hey! He drove away! 

So I asked Manning, who has worked primarily in operations at Advance Transit for more than a decade. She gave the obviously correct answer: “The ones with the dogs.” (Those would be for Pure Solutions, the anti-pest yard treatment company.)

“It's always really cute,” she said. “Usually it's like a little girl rolling around in the field with her dog or something.”

She pointed out that ads help to keep the buses free to ride, as do state, local, and federal funds. And that leads us to what Manning said is the biggest question she gets, and an answer that for many people is a surprise.

“People just cannot believe that we're fare free,” she said, calling herself “continually shocked that people don’t know.” (The other biggie is explaining Access AT, which offers door-to-door dropoffs for riders with disabilities, who must first apply.)

In search of color for this article, I recently walked the full three minutes from my house to the Green Line stop in front of the Upper Valley Haven, hoping for some pizzazz. I always get mild jitters before navigating public transit for the first time in a new city, and I was surprised to find myself with butterflies so close to home. But once I got on board, it was … pretty boring. Not too surprising, I suppose, that your local commute is kinda dull.

I went down to West Lebanon, got confused, asked for directions, and took the Yellow Line up to Hanover, starting to have some fun. Look at all the scenery I can take in when I’m not driving, I thought. Look at the river. Look at the trees. Look at that lady eating a burrito on that park bench in Hanover. Wow, we’ve made it to the big city!

By the time I deboarded near Dartmouth College, I was thrilled to be without a vehicle. Parking sucks! I’m so unencumbered! The possibilities are ENDLESS!!! I skipped away to buy bubble tea, then headed to my return stop. I soon saw a Green Line bus approaching but then — hey! She drove away! 

I was confused until I realized I was standing in the wrong spot, so I parked my butt directly in the vestibule. The Transit app, which thus far had been a godsend, slowly began driving me toward madness, showing Green Line buses approaching — 7 minutes away, 5 minutes away, 3 minutes away — before jumping up to nearly 30 minutes and repeating the cycle. I overheard a driver from a different route tell a regular commuter that the Green bus, which was supposed to show up roughly every half-hour, was delayed. Hanover’s sheen began to fade. Why are there bikes on all the sidewalks and pedestrians in all the roads? When did all these students become half my age?? Why is that not hyperbole?!?!! 

About 50 minutes after I goofed up, the next Green bus arrived. I didn’t have a job to get to or a family to care for, so all was well. On the other hand, if I’d been driving in Hanover traffic, who knows what kind of frustrations I would have encountered. Manning noted that many of the issues that delay buses, such as construction traffic, affect motorists, too.

Back toward my stop at the Haven, another rider said that timing the bus and navigating delays is the hardest part. But he said the bus offers something that car commutes cannot: a community of riders and drivers alike.

“You can talk to them. You can ask them as many questions as you want,” he said. “They’re very sweet. Good people.”

Produced in conjunction with Junction Arts & Media: Advance Transit’s “How to Ride” video series. (I probably should have watched this!)

An Advance Transit press release from May 2026: Advance Transit Announces Leadership Transition. Manning said a permanent executive director announcement is expected later this year. 

If they’re related to the Upper Valley, I might try to answer them for this column! Otherwise … probably not. Email [email protected] with your name, town and question, or fill out this form. 

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Maggie Cassidy is the former editor of the Valley News and managing editor of VTDigger. In addition to creative endeavors in film and other media, she is the marketing manager at KIS Clean Outs and KIS Thrift, and serves as the proprietor of Wilder’s largest salt and pepper shaker museum. She can be reached at [email protected].