Operator of Nova Scotia to Maine ferry carried over 35,000 passengers
HALIFAX — The new operator of Nova Scotia’s taxpayer-funded ferry from Yarmouth, N.S., to Portland, Maine, says more than 35,000 passengers used the service in its inaugural season — a figure well short of the provincial government’s projected target of 60,000.
Despite dumping the previous operator, partly for failing to meet projected passenger numbers, provincial Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan said Thursday he believes current operator Bay Ferries has brought stability to the volatile service.
“We needed the stability on the operational side,” he said. “Clearly we didn’t have that with Nova Star and clearly we have that with Bay Ferries.”
The just-concluded season ran from June 15 to Oct. 1 and the 35,551 passengers carried by Bay Ferries’ high-speed CAT ferry was about 15,000 fewer than previous operator Nova Star Cruises carried in 2015. The 51,038 passengers carried by Nova Star was short of its goal of 80,000.