I wasn’t quite sure exactly where to go to catch the next (and last!) leg of the journey, and didn’t see any bus stop signs. The former station building was occupied by a Mexican restaurant, which shares its parking lot with the station’s. Checking on Google Maps told me I was standing in the right place next to the restaurant’s outdoor tables, and I confirmed with the other person who was waiting for the bus.

MVRTA (aka MeVa) Route 19

Newburyport, MA to Amesbury, MA

Fare: free!

Cumulative Fare: $138.48

After a few minutes the bus pulled up, and we left two minutes behind schedule - again, no big deal. I was very pleasantly surprised how accurate schedules have been all along the journey. A special bonus: every MeVa route is fare-free, as of March 2022.

It was another beautiful day: lightly breezy, mostly sunny with a few fluffy clouds, 63° with low humidity. And Newburyport was leafy and attractive. It’s a shame that the station is no longer in the middle of town but rather a mile or so away, and that they discontinued the free shuttle bus many years ago. (New Haven operates a free shuttle between Union Station and downtown; it’s great!) I’d like to come back and explore Newburyport some more. 

As we crossed the Merrimack into Amesbury, we could see the 1910 Chain Bridge (a replica of the 1810 bridge) connecting Newburyport to the tiny Deer Island. After wending our way through a few streets in Amesbury, which also seems charming, we arrived at the Nicholas J. Costello Transportation Center, our final destination. It’s the northernmost transit-accessible part of the BosWash megalopolis. It’s a bus hub and senior center, and I’d have hiked two miles north to the New Hampshire line had I had just a little more time in my schedule, but I had an Acela ticket in a few hours from Boston to get me back home.

I’d started the trip roughly 52 hours and 538 miles before, back in Olive, VA. Total fare was $138.48 - if I’d taken the MARC/Cecil Transit/SEPTA route between Washington and Philly instead of Megabus (i.e., if I’d remembered Juneteenth and planned better), it’d have been $123.65. So: not a savings in money or time, but! It sure was fun to see how far I could go.