Chebeague Island lies in the upper part of Casco Bay, closer to Yarmouth and Cumberland than to Portland. That geography explains the Chebeague Transportation Company's route: instead of a long run down the bay, CTC crosses about fifteen minutes of water to Cousins Island, a Yarmouth island that is joined to the mainland by road, and lands at the Cousins Island Wharf.
The whole trip is really three pieces. Visitors leave their car at CTC's lot on Route 1 in Cumberland, ride the company's bus for 15 minutes to the wharf, and take the boat to the Stone Pier. Since October 13, 2026 the off-season timetable gives ten round trips Monday through Thursday and on Saturdays, eleven on Friday and seven on Sunday.
Tickets are not sold on board. You buy them beforehand on CTC's website or over the phone, and the deckhand takes them at the ramp. An adult pays $11 one way or $19 for a round trip.
Off-season crossings from Cousins Island and the Stone Pier
Monday to Thursday, and Saturday
| From Cousins Island Wharf | From Stone Pier, Chebeague Island |
|---|---|
| 06:45 | 06:30 |
| 08:15 | 08:00 |
| 10:15 | 10:00 |
| 12:15 | 12:00 |
| 14:15 | 14:00 |
| 16:00 | 15:45 |
| 17:00 | 16:45 |
| 18:30 | 18:15 |
| 20:15 | 20:00 |
| 21:30 | 21:15 |
Friday
| From Cousins Island Wharf | From Stone Pier, Chebeague Island |
|---|---|
| 06:45 | 06:30 |
| 08:15 | 08:00 |
| 10:15 | 10:00 |
| 12:15 | 12:00 |
| 14:15 | 14:00 |
| 16:00 | 15:45 |
| 17:00 | 16:45 |
| 18:30 | 18:15 |
| 20:15 | 20:00 |
| 21:30 | 21:15 |
| 22:45 | 22:30 |
Sunday
| From Cousins Island Wharf | From Stone Pier, Chebeague Island |
|---|---|
| 08:15 | 08:00 |
| 10:15 | 10:00 |
| 12:15 | 12:00 |
| 14:15 | 14:00 |
| 16:00 | 15:45 |
| 17:00 | 16:45 |
| 19:30 | 19:15 |
CTC Off Season Schedule, effective October 13, 2026, read on October 15, 2026; departures also checked against CTC's October 2026 crew-assistance timetable Chebeague Transportation Company — The Ferry: Off Season Schedule · 2026-10-15
Tickets bought ahead, ride books that never expire
Buy before you board. CTC sells single tickets, round trips and ride books on its website, or through the CTC office by telephone; the deckhand collects them at the ramp; in the off-season they are scanned while the boat is under way. Have the name on the order ready if you bought by phone or online. Round-trip tickets and ride books do not expire.
Kids up to age 5 travel free. Pets and bicycles pay the same as a child, and the 10-ride adult book brings the cost of a crossing down from $11 to $6.70.
| Adult (12+), one way | $ 11 |
| Adult (12+), round trip | $ 19 |
| Child (6–11), one way | $ 3 |
| Child (6–11), round trip | $ 5 |
| Child (5 and under) | Free |
| Pet or bicycle, one way | $ 3 |
| Pet or bicycle, round trip | $ 5 |
| Adult, 10 rides | $ 67 |
| Child, pet or bicycle, 20 rides | $ 26 |
| Island resident or parking-permit holder, 10 rides | $ 45 |
| Day space, if one is free (out by 5:30 p.m.) | $ 50 |
CTC Off Season Fares, effective October 13, 2026; the same prices appear in CTC's online ticket store, both read on October 15, 2026 Chebeague Transportation Company — Tickets · 2026-10-15
A bus from Route 1, a wharf on Cousins, a pier on the island
Casco Bay Lines also sails to Chebeague, from Portland, as part of the same island network as its Peaks Island and Great Diamond routes, and CTC itself recommends that service for heavy freight. This page covers only the shorter Cousins Island crossing.
Cousins Island Wharf
The mainland landing is a small wharf and float at the end of Pogy Shore Way on Cousins Island, in Yarmouth. Next to it is the Blanchard lot, kept for the 165 cars of year-round residents with CTC permits, and the ramp where the barge loads. A few day spaces may be free for $50, with no overnight stay and cars out by 5:30 p.m.; most days there are none.
Visitors are expected to come by the CTC bus instead. It starts from the company's satellite lot just off Route 1 in Cumberland (for GPS, use 1 Thomas Drive, Cumberland Foreside; the lot is across Route 1), takes 15 minutes, and leaves 30 minutes before each ferry is due to leave Cousins. The daily parking fee is paid to the bus driver, and cars without a pass on the dashboard are towed.
Stone Pier, Chebeague Island
On Chebeague the CTC boats use the Stone Pier, where the barge also has a ramp. The CTC office is on North Road. Boarding starts about ten minutes before departure, and passengers leaving the island may load their own freight onto the float before they board.
Two miles of water between Cousins and Chebeague
The crossing runs roughly east from Cousins Island to Chebeague's Stone Pier, a little under two miles across the upper part of Casco Bay. Cousins itself is reached by road from Yarmouth, which is why a fifteen-minute boat ride is all that separates the island from the Route 1 corridor north of Portland.
Travel tips from the Cousins Island side
- Catch the bus, not a parking space
Day parking on Cousins Island is rare and costs $50. Park at the Route 1 lot in Cumberland and ride the CTC bus, which leaves half an hour before each ferry.
- Bulky luggage
Space on the shuttle buses is limited. With lots of bags, bikes or a stroller, drop them at the Cousins Island wharf first, then park on Route 1 and ride the bus back.
- Mind the tide
The ramp down to the float is very steep at low tide. Passengers who need help boarding should travel near high tide where possible and call the office 24 hours ahead.
- Pets on a leash
Animals must be leashed or in a carrier and kept off the seats on the bus and the boat. Each pet needs a $3 ticket one way.
- Bringing a car
Cars cross only on CTC's 43-by-24-foot barge, booked in advance, tide-dependent and run from April to November 30.
- Weather cancellations
Cancellations beyond the first bus are posted on the CTC homepage and Facebook page, and CTC sends notices to riders who sign up.
From a converted lobster boat to a 24-hour island service
CTC began in 1975 with a converted lobster boat. Today it is the island's nonprofit transport company, run by a volunteer board drawn from commuters, retirees and people who work on Chebeague, operating a fleet of three boats plus a barge, alongside three buses and a pair of parking lots. The passenger runs use the Islander and the Independence, a 56-foot boat for up to 150 passengers which also takes private charters around Casco Bay.
The company also keeps a crew on call around the clock for emergencies: when someone on Chebeague needs to reach the mainland in a hurry, 911 dispatches the CTC ferry, at no charge to the town or the patient. This fall the pressure is fuel. In October 2026 it reported fuel spending already near $80,000 for the year against $65,000 for all of 2025, and announced lower engine speeds and fewer empty bus trips to save fuel.
The CTC passenger boats
Questions about the Cousins Island–Chebeague crossing
Are tickets sold aboard the CTC boat?
No. Every CTC ticket is prepaid, either online or by calling (207) 846-3700 during office hours. The deckhand collects them at the ramp.
Driving to the Cousins Island ferry: where should the car go?
At CTC's satellite lot just off Route 1 in Cumberland, across Route 1 from 1 Thomas Drive. The CTC bus runs from there to the wharf in 15 minutes; Cousins Island parking is mainly for permit holders, with rare day spaces at $50.
Evening crossings from Cousins Island end at what time?
21:30 Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays, 22:45 on Friday (no bus with it) and 19:30 on Sunday, under the off-season timetable in effect since October 13.
Is there an early boat on Sunday?
No. The 06:30 from Chebeague and 06:45 from Cousins are weekday-and-Saturday runs. Sunday service starts with the 08:00 from Chebeague and the 08:15 from Cousins.
Casco Bay Lines also goes to Chebeague: is it the same boat?
No. Casco Bay Lines sails to Chebeague from Portland. The Chebeague Transportation Company runs the separate, shorter crossing from Cousins Island in Yarmouth.
What do bikes and dogs pay?
$3 one way or $5 round trip each, the same as a child aged 6 to 11. A 20-ride book for children, pets or bikes costs $26.
Can I take my car to Chebeague?
Only on the CTC barge, which carries vehicles from April to November 30 by reservation, at tide-dependent times. The passenger ferry does not carry cars.