Casco Bay Lines, also called the Casco Bay Island Transit District (CBITD), is a public transportation company that helps residents of the islands in Casco Bay, Maine, travel. The seven islands served are Peaks Island, Little Diamond Island, Great Diamond Island, Diamond Cove, Long Island, Chebeague Island, and Cliff Island.

The company operates five boats. Travel schedules to the islands change depending on the season. In the summer, there are more trips to the islands, but in the winter, there are far fewer trips.

History

The Casco Bay Steamboat Company started offering regular service to the Casco Bay Islands in 1878. In 1881, the Harpswell Line began providing regular trips to the outer islands. These two services combined in 1907 to form the Casco Bay and Harpswell Steamboat Company. The company stopped operating in July 1919 because of World War I. Later that winter, a smaller company called Casco Bay Lines was created.

CBITD is a non-profit group that was created by emergency state laws in 1981. CBITD took over the assets of Casco Bay Lines through a legal process to keep transportation service running between Portland, Maine, and the islands of Casco Bay. CBITD is managed by a board of twelve directors. Ten of these directors are chosen by the island communities. One is chosen by the City of Portland, and another is chosen by the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation.

Many workers from the islands rely on CBITD to travel to and from work. All students who live on the islands use CBITD to get to and from school (this includes students in sixth grade and above). A car ferry serves Peaks Island, and a freight ferry serves the "down bay" islands, which include Long Island, Chebeague Island, and Cliff Island.

The Casco Bay Lines fleet has a distinct color pattern, starting from the bottom: black, yellow, white, and red. Casco Bay Lines was originally based at Custom House Wharf but moved to its current location on the Maine State Pier, at the former Franklin Street wharf, in the 1980s. When the company first started, it used steamboats to carry goods. Some well-known steamboats were the Aucocisco, Maquoit, and Machigonne. The company’s first ferry was the Abenaki, which operated on Casco Bay for almost fifty years.

The Portland Ferry terminal was renovated and expanded in 2014. The design was completed by Scott Simons Architects.

Routes

Each of the seven islands listed on Casco Bay Lines’ schedule is served every day of the week, with how often the ferries run changing depending on the time of year.

The Peaks Island ferry (on the Machigonne II) runs 15 times on Mondays and Tuesdays, and 16 times from Wednesdays to Sundays. The ferry stays on the island for 30 minutes after arriving. The final ferry leaves Peaks Island at 10:55 PM on Mondays and Tuesdays, or at 11:55 PM from Wednesdays to Sundays. Vehicles are allowed on the ferry only during specific times on Mondays and Tuesdays, but there are no vehicle restrictions for the rest of the week. In 2024, CBITD approved an 82% increase in prices for non-residents using the Peaks Island service.

The Casco Bay Mail Boat (on the Maquoit II) stops at five islands three times daily—Little Diamond, Great Diamond, Long Island, Cliff Island, and Chebeague Island—on a route that takes about three hours. This is the longest-running mailboat service in the United States, operating since the 1870s. Until the 1950s, the boat used coal for power; now it uses a diesel engine.

The Wabanaki and Maquoit II operate the route together, starting each day at 5:00 AM during the high season. The final of eight trips leaves Portland at 9:15 PM. The Wabanaki runs each service from 3:00 PM onward.

The Sunrise Run departs daily at 5:00 AM and takes about 2.5 hours. The Diamond Pass Run departs daily at 1:00 PM, taking about two hours, and stops at Little Diamond Island, Great Diamond Island, and Peaks Island. The Sunset Run departs daily at 5:45 PM and takes about three hours.

Fleet

As of 2024, Casco Bay Lines has five vessels in its fleet:

• Bay Mist (built in 1985)
• Machigonne II (built in 1987)
• Maquoit II (the Casco Bay Mail Boat; built in 1994)
• Aucocisco III (built in 2005)
• Wabanaki (built in 2013)

Other vessels that have been used in the past include:

• Cadet Merrycneag Longfellow
• Machigonne
• Maquoit
• Quickwater
• Abenaki (now a charter boat on the Hudson River in New York City named Half Moon)
• Aucocisco
• Aucocisco II (last operated as the Silver Star in Essex, Connecticut; scrapped in 2007)
• Emita II (sold first as a canal boat on the Erie Canal and again sold in 2018 to Harbor Country Adventures in New Buffalo, Michigan)
• Sunshine
• Gurnet
• Berkley
• Island Adventure (now tour boat Cosmo, operating in New York City)
• Island Romance (sold in late 2014 to El Dorado Cruise LLC, Staten Island, New York)
• Rebel
• Island Holiday (sold in 2006 to Chattanooga Water Taxi, LLC; renamed Fat Cat)
• Narmarda
• Admiral
• Tourist
• Sabino (now a tour boat at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut)
• Emita
• Joan
• Edward B.
• Sebascodegan
• Pilgrim
• Nellie G. III (formerly captained by Archie Ross)

Casco Bay Lines is working on a Fleet Evaluation project to replace the older Machigonne II. A new vessel is being built by Senesco Marine in Rhode Island. This new boat will have a hybrid-electric engine, which is a first for Casco Bay Lines' fleet.

Terminal

The Casco Bay Lines Ferry Terminal is located on the Maine State Pier. It was built in the 1980s. In the summer of 2014, a large renovation and expansion designed by Scott Simons Architects was completed and opened to the public. This work made the building twice as big as the original. The new terminal was recognized with an Honorable Mention in the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) New England Design 2014 Design Awards and received an AIA Maine Honor Award in 2016.