Penquis Transportation, Waldo Community Action Partners and Modivcare will continue to provide services in their respective regions for another six months while the parties battle in court over the state contract that is slated to grant every region to Modivcare.

The contract — which assigns agencies to coordinate rides to medical appointments for MaineCare patients through a competitive application process — was originally extended through the end of 2024.

Penquis is suing over the award process, which it alleges had inconsistencies that created a “fundamental unfairness.” Waldo Community Action Partners is listed as the interested party in the lawsuit.

If Penquis loses the contract, the agency would operate at less than 10% of its current capacity, said Transportation Director Steven Richard.

“It’s a dispute between our agency and our agency’s single biggest funder,” said Richard. “The tension that that implies is considerable and heavy.”

Richard said that communities already served by Penquis would benefit from its continued service, as it already has vehicles and coordination to support an efficient model in those regions. In addition, he said, as a nonprofit community action agency, Penquis is beholden to the oversight of the public rather than outside stakeholders.

“At the end of the day … all the money of net proceeds from our programs go back into the community,” Richard said. “It’s a great advantage … to have nonprofits delivering these services instead of enriching shareholders, wherever they may be.”

Myra Orifice, senior director of operations for Modivcare in Maine, said in an email response that the company “remains focused on delivering safe, on-time transportation in our current regions while these matters are pending.”

This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from the Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here.