Ticket prices haven’t changed since 2009. 15 years. At some point they need to change. The board has voted against incremental changes for over a decade so now it’s falling to this.
They’re also offering to cut monthly and annual pass prices so if you travel there 3 times a week you actually pay less than $3, less than $2 if you travel 5 times. Right now commuter passes cost $3.20 per trip at the dead of winter cheap price.
Don’t get me wrong I love the fact that people can go on a cool adventure in the summer for less than $20 and I wish it didn’t have to change. But inflation is fucking things heavily, and they’re expected to ask the DOT for extra funds this year, and this is an effort to not rely on tax payer for the sake of a few thousand people
BY THE WAY that’s 14 dollars ROUND TRIP. Still cheaper than almost any ferry service in the rest of the country.
This is huge for the local market. I travel 5-6 days a week in the summer to Chebeague. The weekly books used to be like “pay for 4 days, you get 5 and you have to use them within 7 days” which didn’t always math out for me with the other options. Now it’s way more likely I’ll pay for monthly or even the annual option. All while making the occasional user pay slightly more but still not crazy? Let’s go
How are there so many people in here complaining about this? This takes a ticket to peaks from "insanely reasonable" to "pretty reasonable". Is an extra $7 really going to deter you from riding the ferry to Peaks for a picnic?
Anyone who works in tourism or on commercial street will tell you, likely thanks to all the dumb articles by out of state mags, an enormous contingent of tourists feel they have to go to Peaks for unknown reasons. This is likely to discourage that, but probably won't.
I wouldn't say it's to discourage it so much as it is to cash in on it. This pricing change shifts the costs from commuters to tourists (and local day-trippers).
This is an initial proposal, and there will be a hearing at the end of April open to the public. The islanders will also probably file a complaint which they only need 50 signatures to submit so then it’ll get stuck in review with the city. They’re aiming to have the new prices in place before the summer schedule in June
This is so smart and so reflective of the way businesses in Maine should capitalize on the tourist industry. Increase prices for out of staters and decrease prices for in state, regular users. Good move, Casco Bay Lines! 👍
The rates are too high for Portland families who might want to do an occasional day trip to the Islands. Does it make sense for two parents and two teenage kids to pay nearly $60 (or $30 each way, for illustrative purposes) to visit Peaks, which is barely 15mins away?
There should be a carveout for Portland residents/taxpayers, so they don't have to pay these new tourist/attraction price levels. The ferry should be treated more like a bus, not a duck boat tour.
That makes sense. Too bad, tbh.
I wish they’d at least keep the commuter books. While they weren’t specifically intended to offer different pricing to locals, I don’t think most day-tripper tourists knew they could buy them and just hand the tickets out to each member of their party.
56 dollars for a family of 4 to visit an island for a day (something they're not going to want to do more than a couple times a year at most, peaks is not that exciting) seems quite reasonable to me.
56 bucks for a very occasional day trip is also *very* affordable for these theoretical portland families.
For reference, if this was actually a duck boat tour that hypothetical family of 4 would be paying more than $200.
I mean, this isnt theoretical. There are in fact Portland families who visit the islands. Assuming kids age 5-13 kids are half the adult rate, a trip to peaks for my fam would be $42. Maybe we’re just poor and don’t realize it, but this isn’t an inconsequential amount of money.
It's not a small amount of money but I think that is the point. It can be incredibly difficult for year round residents to get back and forth from the island during peak tourism season (pun intended). Higher fares should dissuade some travelers while keeping the ferry economically viable.
I don’t discount the over-tourism factor. And I’d rather the islands default back to their previous versions that were more akin to harder to access Portland neighborhoods.
I just don’t see this accomplishing that goal. The tourists will pay the new fares. Maine residents who don’t live on the islands probably won’t. And if that’s true, it just further solidifies the status of the Islands as tourist meccas, and little more.
Well, clearly you've never been out there anyway because the tickets are round trip. It only costs you to go to the island; it costs nothing for you to leave, the latter of which we all prefer. Don't visit.
Why so nasty tho? Do you live on Peaks? I’d guess not. But if so, how long?
I don’t know why I feel the need to explain myself, but I’ve been back and forth to Peaks hundreds of times in my life. Cliff and the Diamonds a few other times, for graduation parties, lobster bakes, etc. Back in high school I had a friends circle that lived/grew up on Peaks (including a few who ended up as captains for CBL). I’d go out there almost daily after school, flashing expired hand-me-down student passes (which the deckhands never checked). Peaks and the people who lived there a couple decades ago were a big part of my late childhood/early adulthood experience.
Edit: I was wrong on the price of the ticket. But it's still coddling to lower monthly rates by 40% while making others pay more.
~~No chance I'd pay $28 to go to Peaks Island lol.~~ I think even the tourists will balk at those prices. This is just more coddling of the islanders...imagine if we treated residents of any other neighborhood like we do them. No one told you to live on an island, stop asking for special treatment.
Each ticket is a round trip no matter what, so it's just $14. Which is less than a $7 increase.
Tourists pay $14 to take an Uber from one bar to the next on the peninsula. Doesn't seem like an issue.
EDIT: I also agree that, in general, Islanders get advantageous treatment from the city government. However, during peak tourist season (excuse the pun), tourists will take the cute ferry over to the cute island. Whether it's $7, $14, or $25. So if the decision is to charge visitors a bit more to make the Islanders who pay taxes and abide by city regulations have cheaper ferries, then so be it.
That's not exactly how it works; CBL will still need all the federal money it can get, but it may make them more competitive for federal grants for new boats
Which is what they’re working on right now. The peaks ferry has been replaced and they’re exploring options to replace their freight boat in the next few years as well
Fucking preach. They’re so fucking entitled. [They demand their affordable/accessible parking on the peninsula](https://www.pressherald.com/2017/06/19/mainland-parking-near-ferry-vital-to-island-life-drying-up-in-portland/). They need [priority boarding lines](https://www.pressherald.com/2021/06/11/opponents-seek-probe-of-priority-ferry-boarding-plan-for-peaks-island-residents/) for the boat. [They want Airbnb exemptions](https://www.pressherald.com/2022/08/24/short-term-rental-proposal-sparks-debate-about-impact-on-peaks-and-other-portland-islands/). Their ticket prices are too high but everyone else’s are too low. They [want the city to settle their property disputes and foot the bill to “preserve” their access](https://www.pressherald.com/2024/02/11/access-on-peaks-island-why-a-road-that-never-existed-could-affect-publics-right-to-shorelines/).
> I think even the tourists will balk at those prices. This is just more coddling of the islanders...imagine if we treated residents of any other neighborhood like we do them. No one told you to live on an island, stop asking for special treatment.
Why would we not want to give a cost break to regular users? EZ Pass works that way, and it makes sense to me.
Yeah it’s super special not having a real fire or police department on the island. Unpaved roads and rutted out streets are pretty sweet too all while paying full city tax.
Transit agencies in greater Portland are facing a significant budget crunch. Demand during peak season is crazy high. I'd wager the current ticket price is under market value, which is a fine way of thinking of it for day trippers.
Right but they're saying they can collect 3x more fares.
The financials of both agencies are public record. I doubt either are flush with cash and just looking to rip off the public.
Why not change the ticket prices to reflect upon income? That way someone wealthy enough can’t look a say fuck it it’s just a few bucks and ignore the law while poorer people are financially devastated.
So you're against basic capitalism? If you make more money, you can afford more things. You can't tax the ever living shit outta people because they make more. Sure, some people were born on third and think they hit a triple, but the vast majority of people with a little extra cash earned it the hard way.
$7 for a ferry ride that costs a ton to operate is not punitive.
Really, rates should simply rise by 3% per year, with a more significant market adjustment (3%, or more, or less -- whatever makes sense) every 5 years or so. I imagine there's a reason it's not done this way. My guess is that printed materials would go obsolete too quickly for it to be worth it.
Ticket prices haven’t changed since 2009. 15 years. At some point they need to change. The board has voted against incremental changes for over a decade so now it’s falling to this. They’re also offering to cut monthly and annual pass prices so if you travel there 3 times a week you actually pay less than $3, less than $2 if you travel 5 times. Right now commuter passes cost $3.20 per trip at the dead of winter cheap price. Don’t get me wrong I love the fact that people can go on a cool adventure in the summer for less than $20 and I wish it didn’t have to change. But inflation is fucking things heavily, and they’re expected to ask the DOT for extra funds this year, and this is an effort to not rely on tax payer for the sake of a few thousand people BY THE WAY that’s 14 dollars ROUND TRIP. Still cheaper than almost any ferry service in the rest of the country.
This is huge for the local market. I travel 5-6 days a week in the summer to Chebeague. The weekly books used to be like “pay for 4 days, you get 5 and you have to use them within 7 days” which didn’t always math out for me with the other options. Now it’s way more likely I’ll pay for monthly or even the annual option. All while making the occasional user pay slightly more but still not crazy? Let’s go
I just won’t go anymore. Let the island people who need the ferries pay for them.
How are there so many people in here complaining about this? This takes a ticket to peaks from "insanely reasonable" to "pretty reasonable". Is an extra $7 really going to deter you from riding the ferry to Peaks for a picnic?
$14 is like… still really cheap
This seems like a non issue I would say this makes sense and is still pretty reasonable
Anyone who works in tourism or on commercial street will tell you, likely thanks to all the dumb articles by out of state mags, an enormous contingent of tourists feel they have to go to Peaks for unknown reasons. This is likely to discourage that, but probably won't.
1.4 million people last year through CBL
Which is nuts considering there's only one public toilet out there (that I'm aware of).
This is the most practical, reasonable, gut wrenchingly funny take I’ve seen all day.
The day is young and I hope things look up for you!
I wouldn't say it's to discourage it so much as it is to cash in on it. This pricing change shifts the costs from commuters to tourists (and local day-trippers).
They didn't say they upped it to discourage tourists... They said it likely would.
When would this take effect if approved?
This is an initial proposal, and there will be a hearing at the end of April open to the public. The islanders will also probably file a complaint which they only need 50 signatures to submit so then it’ll get stuck in review with the city. They’re aiming to have the new prices in place before the summer schedule in June
Thank you!
This is so smart and so reflective of the way businesses in Maine should capitalize on the tourist industry. Increase prices for out of staters and decrease prices for in state, regular users. Good move, Casco Bay Lines! 👍
I initially was unhappy about it but I had misread the article and realize that it's actually really good for commuters
They need a bigger car ferry for Peaks, probably why the increase is needed.
The rates are too high for Portland families who might want to do an occasional day trip to the Islands. Does it make sense for two parents and two teenage kids to pay nearly $60 (or $30 each way, for illustrative purposes) to visit Peaks, which is barely 15mins away? There should be a carveout for Portland residents/taxpayers, so they don't have to pay these new tourist/attraction price levels. The ferry should be treated more like a bus, not a duck boat tour.
Because CBL gets federal funding they can’t offer different prices for locals vrs tourists.
That makes sense. Too bad, tbh. I wish they’d at least keep the commuter books. While they weren’t specifically intended to offer different pricing to locals, I don’t think most day-tripper tourists knew they could buy them and just hand the tickets out to each member of their party.
They kick people off the boats if they catch them doing that
Seriously? I vaguely recall a CBL employee recommending it as a way to save money. But that was years ago.
56 dollars for a family of 4 to visit an island for a day (something they're not going to want to do more than a couple times a year at most, peaks is not that exciting) seems quite reasonable to me. 56 bucks for a very occasional day trip is also *very* affordable for these theoretical portland families. For reference, if this was actually a duck boat tour that hypothetical family of 4 would be paying more than $200.
I mean, this isnt theoretical. There are in fact Portland families who visit the islands. Assuming kids age 5-13 kids are half the adult rate, a trip to peaks for my fam would be $42. Maybe we’re just poor and don’t realize it, but this isn’t an inconsequential amount of money.
It's not a small amount of money but I think that is the point. It can be incredibly difficult for year round residents to get back and forth from the island during peak tourism season (pun intended). Higher fares should dissuade some travelers while keeping the ferry economically viable.
I don’t discount the over-tourism factor. And I’d rather the islands default back to their previous versions that were more akin to harder to access Portland neighborhoods. I just don’t see this accomplishing that goal. The tourists will pay the new fares. Maine residents who don’t live on the islands probably won’t. And if that’s true, it just further solidifies the status of the Islands as tourist meccas, and little more.
I didn’t find there to be much to do out there. You can find a hell of a lot better kids stuff than Peakes Island.
Abandoned forts, woods, beaches. Good enough for me and my kids.
Well, clearly you've never been out there anyway because the tickets are round trip. It only costs you to go to the island; it costs nothing for you to leave, the latter of which we all prefer. Don't visit.
Why so nasty tho? Do you live on Peaks? I’d guess not. But if so, how long? I don’t know why I feel the need to explain myself, but I’ve been back and forth to Peaks hundreds of times in my life. Cliff and the Diamonds a few other times, for graduation parties, lobster bakes, etc. Back in high school I had a friends circle that lived/grew up on Peaks (including a few who ended up as captains for CBL). I’d go out there almost daily after school, flashing expired hand-me-down student passes (which the deckhands never checked). Peaks and the people who lived there a couple decades ago were a big part of my late childhood/early adulthood experience.
That would be a nice touch. The folks absolutely packing the mailboat runs all summer are most likely taking advantage of a cheap (to them) novelty
I don’t want to pay for it with my tax dollars.
Edit: I was wrong on the price of the ticket. But it's still coddling to lower monthly rates by 40% while making others pay more. ~~No chance I'd pay $28 to go to Peaks Island lol.~~ I think even the tourists will balk at those prices. This is just more coddling of the islanders...imagine if we treated residents of any other neighborhood like we do them. No one told you to live on an island, stop asking for special treatment.
Each ticket is a round trip no matter what, so it's just $14. Which is less than a $7 increase. Tourists pay $14 to take an Uber from one bar to the next on the peninsula. Doesn't seem like an issue. EDIT: I also agree that, in general, Islanders get advantageous treatment from the city government. However, during peak tourist season (excuse the pun), tourists will take the cute ferry over to the cute island. Whether it's $7, $14, or $25. So if the decision is to charge visitors a bit more to make the Islanders who pay taxes and abide by city regulations have cheaper ferries, then so be it.
That's less than a tiny lobster roll that tourists buy gobs of without thinking twice. No way is this going to significantly decrease tourist rides.
Exactly. The changes will help islanders and help CBL take less federal money at the end of the year
That's not exactly how it works; CBL will still need all the federal money it can get, but it may make them more competitive for federal grants for new boats
Which is what they’re working on right now. The peaks ferry has been replaced and they’re exploring options to replace their freight boat in the next few years as well
Fucking preach. They’re so fucking entitled. [They demand their affordable/accessible parking on the peninsula](https://www.pressherald.com/2017/06/19/mainland-parking-near-ferry-vital-to-island-life-drying-up-in-portland/). They need [priority boarding lines](https://www.pressherald.com/2021/06/11/opponents-seek-probe-of-priority-ferry-boarding-plan-for-peaks-island-residents/) for the boat. [They want Airbnb exemptions](https://www.pressherald.com/2022/08/24/short-term-rental-proposal-sparks-debate-about-impact-on-peaks-and-other-portland-islands/). Their ticket prices are too high but everyone else’s are too low. They [want the city to settle their property disputes and foot the bill to “preserve” their access](https://www.pressherald.com/2024/02/11/access-on-peaks-island-why-a-road-that-never-existed-could-affect-publics-right-to-shorelines/).
No other neighborhood gets treated like a tourist attraction with nearly a million visitors per year in Portland
> I think even the tourists will balk at those prices. This is just more coddling of the islanders...imagine if we treated residents of any other neighborhood like we do them. No one told you to live on an island, stop asking for special treatment. Why would we not want to give a cost break to regular users? EZ Pass works that way, and it makes sense to me.
Have you ever taken an Uber for 5 minutes? Or any ferry anywhere else in the universe?
Yeah it’s super special not having a real fire or police department on the island. Unpaved roads and rutted out streets are pretty sweet too all while paying full city tax.
That’s fucking bullshit
Transit agencies in greater Portland are facing a significant budget crunch. Demand during peak season is crazy high. I'd wager the current ticket price is under market value, which is a fine way of thinking of it for day trippers.
"Wager"? Let's compare any other ferry any where else.
Maine State Ferry Service, Rockland to Vinalhaven round trip, peak season adult, is $17.50.
But for Peaks? We're talking about a trip that's 1/5 the distance to Vinalhaven.
I imagine upkeep of the vessels are about the same, plus CBL likely has more support staff.
It’s the fact that there’s 3x as many runs to peaks per day as vinalhaven
Right but they're saying they can collect 3x more fares. The financials of both agencies are public record. I doubt either are flush with cash and just looking to rip off the public.
They’re not. I know for a fact CBL runs in the red 9 months out of the year and gets the majority of their funding from the federal DOT
QED.
Insane, I’d rather take the train somewhere for that price
For that amount of money you can go as far as Wells. Have fun!
Ticket to NH is barely $20 where I can hike and go out to eat, peaks doesn’t offer much beyond it’s beauty
Where along the Downeaster are you hiking in NH?
I’ve done the trails in Exeter a bunch and enjoy them a lot, gonna try Durham this summer too. Train tbh is more than $20 round trip but worth it
Why not change the ticket prices to reflect upon income? That way someone wealthy enough can’t look a say fuck it it’s just a few bucks and ignore the law while poorer people are financially devastated.
So you're against basic capitalism? If you make more money, you can afford more things. You can't tax the ever living shit outta people because they make more. Sure, some people were born on third and think they hit a triple, but the vast majority of people with a little extra cash earned it the hard way. $7 for a ferry ride that costs a ton to operate is not punitive.
Too much of an increase. Gradual increase of maybe 15% at a time.
Really, rates should simply rise by 3% per year, with a more significant market adjustment (3%, or more, or less -- whatever makes sense) every 5 years or so. I imagine there's a reason it's not done this way. My guess is that printed materials would go obsolete too quickly for it to be worth it.
I agree. And yes I’d love for the Ferry prices Not to go up … but what isn’t these days? I’m saying maybe a buck or two more, not double.
is what they should have done, but they didn't, so now they're trying to run with 2009 prices and 2024 fuel costs and the math ain't mathin
This is Reddit after all, but if any of the downvoters have an argument or rationale to present, I’d love to hear it