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Casco Bay Island Transit District

Portland, ME · NTD ID 10088 · 2024 report year

Annual trips1.1 million #291 in the US
Operating expense$9.4 million 2024, as reported
Cost per rider$8.65 all modes combined
Farebox recovery42.1% fares ÷ operating cost

Casco Bay Island Transit District carries 1.1 million passenger trips a year on ferryboat service — making it the 291st-busiest transit operator in the United States. It is based in Portland, ME.

It spends $9.4 million a year running that service, or $8.65 per trip. Its ferryboat service, the largest of its modes, costs $8.65 per rider — 55% below the $19.42 median for the 39 US agencies reporting ferryboat.

Over the 10 years reported, ridership remains 1% below its 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic, and up 4% on 2023. Fares cover 42% of operating cost.

Service by mode, 2024

ModeAnnual tripsOperating expense Cost per ridervs national median FareboxVehicles
Ferryboat#13 of 39 nationally 1,090,868 $9.4 million $8.65 -55% 42% 4

Ridership, 2015–2024

1.1 million 628,217 2024 2015
YearAnnual trips Operating expense (2024 $)Cost per rider (2024 $)
2024 1,090,868 $9.4 million $8.65
2023 1,053,175 $9.3 million $8.80
2022 997,335 $8.2 million $8.27
2021 893,762 $10.7 million $12.02
2020 628,217 $8.4 million $13.38
2019 1,099,820 $8.8 million $7.99
2018 1,111,101 $8.0 million $7.18
2017 1,086,449 $7.9 million $7.30
2016 1,078,805 $7.9 million $7.29
2015 1,001,702 $7.4 million $7.39

Where Casco Bay Island Transit District ranks

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Source & method. Figures are from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database (NTD) annual reporting for 2024, the most recent published report year. Cost per rider is operating expense divided by unlinked passenger trips. Farebox recovery is fare revenue divided by operating expense. Ten-year trends are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; single-year figures are as reported. Agencies self-report to the NTD, and reporting practice varies, so figures are best read as comparable in magnitude rather than to the cent.