Editor’s note: On Dec. 18, the Executive Council approved a 30-year lease with C&J, clearing the way for the bus company to begin charging to park at its Portsmouth and Dover terminals. Shortly afterwards, the company announced it will set the parking rate at $4 per day — the same rate it currently charges in Seabrook — beginning Jan. 13. C&J said it also plans to expand its daily offerings in the new year, and will roll out a real-time bus-tracking service.
Original story from Dec. 12, 2024 follows:
A state agency has given the green light to a 30-year lease with C&J bus lines on Thursday, clearing the way for the transportation company to begin charging for parking at its lots in Portsmouth and Dover.
Final approval could come as early as next week when the state’s Executive Council is set to meet.
C&J, which offers regular service to Boston and New York City from the New Hampshire Seacoast, has struggled with crowded parking lots in Portsmouth for years, in part, the company says, due to people other than commuters taking advantage of free spots.
“Every time there's a snow ban, the cars show up there,” said Jim Jalbert, the company’s president. “Every time someone rents an apartment and they have only one parking space, the second car shows up there.”
Jalbert said if the Executive Council gives final approval next week on the lease, he expects to install paid parking kiosks in the Portsmouth and Dover lots as early as January.
He declined to say what the daily rate will be, but noted that the company’s lot in Seabrook charges $4 a day, and that he expects to charge a similar rate or less.
“At the end of the day, what we want to do is provide service to our clients and get them on buses and get them moving,” he said.
C&J was the sole bidder on the new contract, which has a 30-year term with an option for 10 additional years. The bus operator will pay approximately $85,000 in annual rent to the state in the first year, with the rent rising to $162,000 by the end of the contract. The bus terminal in Portsmouth sits on land owned by both the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the Pease Development Authority.
C&J will cover the costs of repaving its lots, as well as new fencing, security cameras and lighting.
There are currently 1,250 parking spaces in Portsmouth spread across two main lots, and 450 parking spaces in Dover. Jalbert said he is in discussions with Pease to create an additional 500 parking spots in Portsmouth.
Under the terms of the lease, the state will retain 6% of C&J’s parking revenues, which will go back into a dedicated public transportation fund, according to the Department of Transportation.
The arrangement “provides a better service to the public, revenues to the state that go right back into public transportation, and a better facility run with controlled parking to add predictability to those who use the facility,” said New Hampshire Deputy Transportation Commissioner Andre Briere.
C&J was founded in 1968, and currently employs 140 people, and manages a fleet of 25 buses.
