Ridership on Maine-Nova Scotia ferry up

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The company that operates Maine-to-Nova Scotia ferry service says ridership in June was 26 percent higher than the same month last year.

The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1JCbliB) indicated that Nova Star Cruises reported on its website that it carried 8,530 passengers last month, compared with 6,768 in June 2014.

The company said it's on track to meet its goal of 80,000 passengers in 2015. The company's goal last year was to transport 100,000 passengers, but it carried only 59,000.

The ferry operates daily in the summer between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It has a one-year contract from the Nova Scotia government to operate the service.

Nova Scotia officials plan to decide this summer whether to award the company a contract for the 2016 season or seek another operator.