PUC Hearing Continued Amid Concern About 2 Ferry Services to Prudence Island

The RI PUC hearing on a prospective second Prudence Island ferry service from Bristol was continued this week after about 10 island residents voiced concerns about the viability of two companies vying for the same 150 or so residents who live there.

A new company, A&R Marine, has been formed by several year-round and part-time island residents to start running the second ferry service -- to do business as Prudence and Bay Islands Transport. 

The company was formed when the current carrier, Prudence Island Ferry, indicated it might be shutting down on Dec. 1. That does not seem to be the case now, according to Bruce Medley of Bristol, the owner, who operates from the Church Street wharf.

Two ferry services could mean the failure of both, said residents who testified at the public utilities commission hearing in a story in the Providence Journal. That would leave island residents without a way to go back and forth from their homes except their own water transportation. 

There is no bridge to the Portsmouth island. The current ferry service is considered a "lifeline connection."

A&R Marine must prove to the PUC that it is fit, willing and able to provide ferry service to the island. It is seeking a certificate of public convenience and necessity.

No date has been set for the continuation of the PUC hearing on ferry service to the island.