Case Details

- Case Details:

Case Number:

2025-00160

Case Status:

Open

Utility/Industry Type :

Water Carriers

Utility/Industry Subtype :

None

Case Type :

REQUEST FOR APPROVAL

Case Subtype :

PROPOSED INCREASE IN RATES IN CASCO BAY

Pertaining to Utility/Company :

CASCO BAY ISLAND TRANSIT DISTRICT

Case Title :

REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF PROPOSED INCREASE IN RATES IN CASCO BAY PERTAINING TO CASCO BAY ISLAND TRANSIT DISTRICT.

Initiating Filer :

CASCO BAY ISLAND TRANSIT DISTRICT

Case Start Date :

5/23/2025

Assigned Staff :

Dale.Coty,
Jordan.D.McColman,
amy.mills,
Hailey.Rizzo,
Janet.Couture,
Jason.Marco

View Case References

Filings (17) Data Requests (0)Public Comments (102) Active Party and Notification List (8) Assigned Staff (6)

Item No.	Date Filed	Description Of Filing	Filing Party	Filed By	No of Attachments	Deleted Filings
17	6/20/2025	Email w CBITD Board President_Re Tariff Documentation Omissions	Kelsey, Margaret	Kelsey, Margaret	1
16	6/18/2025	CBITD Rate Structure: Conflicting Terms Create Implementation Risks	Kelsey, Margaret	Kelsey, Margaret	1
15	6/17/2025	Office of the Public Advocats Response to CBITD Objection	OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE	PUBLIC ADVOCATE, MAINE OFFICE OF THE	1
14	6/17/2025	Response to CBITD Objection to OPA	Kelsey, Margaret	Kelsey, Margaret	1
13	6/16/2025	Arguments against latest CBITD filing	Wendell, Mary Lou	Wendell, Mary Lou	1
12	6/16/2025	Peaks Island Vehicle Ticket Tabulator - an online application that identifies the costs of travel under the suggested rate change. I believe making the theoretical practical promotes clarity about the financial impact on consumers.	Kelsey, Margaret	Kelsey, Margaret	1	Written submissions in Word or PDF format are accepted. Audio/video submissions are not supported.
11	6/16/2025	Casco Bay Island Transit District's Response to Objection of the Office of the Public Advocate	CASCO BAY ISLAND TRANSIT DISTRICT	McDonald, Kelly M.	1
10	6/13/2025	Office of the Public Advocates Objection	OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE	PUBLIC ADVOCATE, MAINE OFFICE OF THE	1
9	6/11/2025	Procedural Order	COMMISSION STAFF, CMS	COMMISSION STAFF, CMS	1
8	6/6/2025	Rebuttal Letter to CBITD Legal Counsel	Kelsey, Margaret	Kelsey, Margaret	1

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Posted By	Posted Date	Comments	Attachment(s)
Kathleen Loftus Stewart 28 Oak Avenue Peaks Island , Maine Email ID: loftus64@yahoo.com Phone No.: 8609273290	6/24/2025	My husband's family purchased our home on Peaks in 1951. The home is quite modest, but so important to my husband who counts it as his most consistent home growing up. The current rate hikes threaten our ability to continue to enjoy the home and welcome our grown children for visits. we have never rented the home, but will have to consider doing so in the current context. We are deeply opposed to the drastic rate hikes which have been proposed.
Peter Manning 70 Tolman rd., Peaks Island ME Email ID: jpmanning85@gmail.com Phone No.: 5083203981	6/24/2025	The increased rate for the car ferry from Portland Maine to Peaks Island is ridiculous. It is a public form of transportation for all island residents. I can't imagine that the city of Portland would increase the city bus rates to $30.00 a ride. This is what most islanders feel is happening. We thought we were lucky to have inherited the family Peaks Island house but now are faced with limited visits from our family and friends due to the cost of the ferry and due to lack of reasonable public parking in Portland. Tourists have taken the parking we used to be able to use. I know everyone wants the tourists to pay more however there are residents who call Peaks Island home who can't afford the radical increase in car ferry rates.
Jeannette Wood 18 Luther streer Email ID: nettierose529@gmail.com Phone No.: 207-2107454	6/24/2025	I live on Peaks Island with my husband and two children. I work at the "peaks island children's workshop" taking care of the children of families who live on the Island. My husband is a carpenter and all of his work is on peaks island to help families with their homes, whether building or fixing up. Because we both live and work on the island, we don't have a town car. We use our one vehicle to go into town once a week or even every other week. To get groceries and sometimes doctor visits. With the parking crisis in Portland and high visitors in the summer, it is insane for us to try to park our vehicle to leave for a week or two and take up those valuable spots. We are essential to our neighbors and our community, yet we do not have high paying jobs. This price increase will negatively affect our family, making us wonder, how can normal people afford to live on this island. We are being pushed out by the wealthy.
Tim Dobe 9 Upper A St.	6/24/2025	I write to oppose the current vehicle rate hike, in its present form/amount. I recognize the need to increase rates, but the huge increase for some is really unacceptable. My wife and I are from New England and have spent many vacations in Maine growing up. When we had to move to the Midwest for work, we looked for a way to come back to Maine in summer, so we could stay connected to family and friends here and keep our kids rooted here. Since we don't make a ton of money, the only way to do this was to buy something, use it for a few weeks ourselves, and rent it as a short term rental for most of the May-October season to cover some of the high property taxes, insurance etc. The new rates are expensive for us and even more so for our renters, who might be coming for just a fall weekend or a wedding etc. As others wrote, it also is a major deterrent for our family and friends to come and visit. Year rounders with financial constraints and occassional need to go off island also seem hit way too hard. Perhaps CBL could work out a system to that property owners on Peaks who have the pass could also be granted a 'guest pass' or two on file at CBL that could be picked up and used by visitors or renters on an as-needed basis. Another concern: why is Peaks being so disproportionality targeted--couldn't the other island fares share some of the increase?
Pam Guatin 945 Seashore Ave Peaks Island ME 04108 Email ID: pgustin@maine.rr.com Phone No.: 2074155015	6/24/2025	You are so out of line. Quickly approving CBL rate increases without due process or consideration. None of the PUC employees live on Peaks, so you have no idea the impact this has caused. My family cannot afford to come on weekends anymore. I can't afford to help them. I can barely purchase groceries off the island. I am not alone. You all should be ashamed if yourself.
Susan Hanley 108 Brackett Avenue, Peaks Island, ME 04108 Email ID: susan.hanley123@gmail.com Phone No.: 2073322443	6/24/2025	Dear members of the PUC I support the recent price increase for non-commercial vehicles as proposed by the Casco Bay Lines board of directors. I think the board has thoughtfully created a pricing scheme that leverages the seasonal influx of visitors to support a year round community on Peaks Island. Islanders who use the ferry as a lifeline to the mainland will benefit from this pricing scheme.
Scott Moseley 471 Island Ave Email ID: scott-moseley@comcast.net Phone No.: 7812667298	6/24/2025	I support the rate increase proposed with the expectation that it will reduce the loss with which CBL currently operates. I propose that a resident boarding pass also be a route to acquiring a reduced non-commercial vehicle rate. CBL currently operates with a heavy reliance on Federal Transportation Funds and the Trump administration is currently trying to tie federal transportation funding to cooperation with immigration authorities. We cannot let our lifeline to the island remain at risk due to factors beyond our local control. Increasing fares as proposed helps us be closer to the true operating costs and more self reliant.
Gino Ricciardelli 20 Ocean Spray, portland Email ID: Kaos558@aol.com Phone No.: 7814051380	6/24/2025	I am opposed to PUC's decision to approve CBL's rate increase. My wife and I own a property on the island that we purchased with the intention of having a family vacation home. We mainly go on weekend, and occasional weeklong trips during the year. Our children are all grown with families of their own. While the rate increase itself is not a major liability for my wife and I, our kids have already told us that with this rate increase, they cannot justify weekend visits any longer as they have family expenses of their own. Basically, the rate increase will result in the entire purpose for our purchase of the property to be secondary, and we anticipate potentially having to sell the house or rent it to others for weekly rentals as I do not anticipate spending as much time on the island over the summer.
Mary Lou Wendell Mary Lou Wendell 146 LEDGEWOOD ST Email ID: marylouwendell@gmail.com Phone No.: 2072105756	6/20/2025	It makes no sense for anyone to go online today and decry the possibility that this rate change may be postponed simply because people have steeled themselves against the imminent financial harm of these changes by buying tons of tickets at the old lower rate. Anyone who can afford to buy eight tickets at once for family members at the old rate must be in at least pretty good financial shape. If the rate doesn't take effect, where's the harm? Such a person or family still gets to use the tickets they've purchased in advance whenever they want and this act has resulted in no fee increase to them. On the other hand, for the hundreds of ratepayers who are in no such shape financially and who live paycheck to paycheck, a postponement will be a godsend because so many islanders cannot afford to buy eight tickets at once!! What will happen to these people when they need to leave the island in their vehicle to buy supplies and groceries three weeks from now and they don't have a pre-purchased car ticket? So why advocate for harm to come to others who live on Peaks Island who are not as fortunate as those who can buy tons of car ferry tickets all at once and not skip a beat??? This sort of heartlessness and social division is harmful to Peaks Island and is just one more reason why the PUC should act immediately and put the brakes on these changes that allow many islanders to pay less while charging the most vulnerable islanders more.
Candace Myers 387 Island Ave Email ID: dulcemyers@gmail.com Phone No.: 2076079395	6/20/2025	I was recently informed that the rate change for vehicles on CBL may not happen. This comes to my attention after we were told that it would happen tomorrow June 21. Many of my neighbors and friends have just purchased many car tickets in advance at the current rate thinking that it was going to happen. My sister bought 8 tickets for her children to use for their summer visits. Please stick with the plan that we all thought was going to happen!

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Notification List Active Party List

Name of Person/Company	Representing Company	Mailing Address	Email/Phone/Fax
Chamberlin, Susan W		103 Water Street, 3rd Flr SHS #112 Hallowell ME 04347	Email ID: susan.w.chamberlin@maine.gov Phone Ph: 207-624-3679 Fax: Fax: 207-287-4300
Giggey, Sharon	CASCO BAY ISLAND TRANSIT DISTRICT	PO Box 9785 Portland ME 04104 5085	Email ID: sgiggey@mpmlaw.com Phone Ph: 207-523-8230 Fax: Fax: 207-773-8023
Hevey, Richard	OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE	112 State House Station Augusta ME 04333 0112	Email ID: richard.p.hevey@maine.gov Phone Ph: 207-557-0290 Fax:
Kelsey, Margaret		216 Island Ave Peaks Island ME 04108	Email ID: mhkelsey@mhkleadership.com Phone Ph: 207-274-4747 Fax:
Lightbody, John C	CASCO BAY ISLAND TRANSIT DISTRICT	PO Box 9785 Portland ME 04104 5085	Email ID: jlightbody@mpmlaw.com Phone Ph: 207-523-8217 Fax: Fax: 207-773-8023
Sanborn, Heather		103 Water Street, 3rd FLr SHS 112 Hallowell ME 04347	Email ID: heather.sanborn@maine.gov Phone Ph: 207-624-3680 Fax:
Wendell, Mary Lou		146 Ledgewood Road Peaks Island ME 04108	Email ID: MaryLouWendell@gmail.com Phone Ph: 207-210-5756 Fax:
Winther, Kristina R.	OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE	103 Water St, 3rd Floor SHS 112 Hallowell ME 04347	Email ID: kristina.r.winther@maine.gov Phone Ph: 207-624-3687 Fax: Fax: 207-287-4300

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Staff Name	Role
Coty, Dale	Support Staff
Couture, Janet	Support Staff
Marco, Jason	Staff Analyst
McColman, Jordan	Reviewer
Mills, Amy	Hearing Examiner
Rizzo, Hailey	Hearing Examiner

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