Travel policies

View Conditions of Carriage on our Terms and Conditions page.

Learn important information about carrying dangerous goods onboard BC Ferries.

BC Ferries has a zero-tolerance policy for passengers under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and the unacceptable conduct that can be associated with impairment. The consumption of drugs and personal alcohol on BC Ferries’ ships and at its terminals is prohibited.  

Intoxicated persons and persons consuming personal alcohol will not be sold a ticket. Persons consuming personal liquor or drugs on board or at our terminals will be cautioned and advised to stop. If the situation persists and their behaviour is blatant and disruptive, the police will be notified. Intoxicated person(s) on a ferry may be arrested and detained if their conduct is disruptive and/or confrontational, or if they pose a potential risk to the safety or security of passengers or crew.

Rules & Requirements regarding the Carrier’s right to refuse passage: 
 

• 2.1 The Carrier reserves the right to refuse passage to any person who does not comply with the Conditions of Carriage or these Rules & Requirements, and without restricting the generality of the foregoing, further reserves the right to refuse passage to: .
  • Any person who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or whose conduct is deemed to be unsafe, unlawful, disruptive or objectionable

Safety of life, prevention of injury to passengers and employees, and protection of the environment will always be given the highest priority in the operation of the BC Ferries' vessels and terminals.
 

BC Ferries makes every effort to reunite you with any items you may have lost while travelling.

We keep wallets and purses in a secure location for 30 days. After this time, we donate any unclaimed money to charity, we return unclaimed credit cards to the card issuer, and we destroy any personal information.

We keep other items of value, such as clothing, books, glasses, umbrellas, cameras and cell phones for 15 days. After this time, we donate or dispose of unclaimed items.
 

Contact a terminal

Call a terminal directly to check their lost and found. To find a terminal phone number:

• View the list of terminals
• Select the terminal you want to call then select "Find terminal".
• Scroll down to "Lost and found" and expand to open contact information.

Important:

• Contact both terminals you travelled through as items lost on board will be sent to the ferry's home terminal.
• Terminals without a lost and found phone number will direct you to the main Customer Service Centre.

MARSEC security levels

MARSEC stands for Marine Security. MARSEC levels are designed to easily communicate pre-planned responses to increased threat levels.
 

• MARSEC Level 1: Appropriate security measures under normal operating conditions

• MARSEC Level 2: Increased security measures maintained for a heightened security threat or incident for a limited period of time

• MARSEC Level 3: Additional security measures when a security threat or security incident is probable or imminent

Nationally, threat levels are assigned by Transport Canada Marine Security (TCMS).

How you can help with security

Everyone can assist with safety and security by immediately reporting any hazard, threat or suspicious events to the nearest BC Ferries employee, including:
 

• Unusual recording or monitoring activities, including the use of cameras, note taking, drawing diagrams, annotating on maps, or using binoculars or other vision enhancing devices

• Unusual or heightened interest in restricted or prohibited areas

• Unusual activities around ferries, terminals, berths or loading areas

• Suspicious unoccupied packages or baggage

BC Ferries Corporate Security Services
Phone 250-978-1232
Email [email protected]

RCMP National Security Information Network
See it. Hear it. Report it.
Phone 1-800-420-5805

This Transport Canada regulation restricts passenger access to closed vehicle decks. In accordance with the regulation, every passenger shall keep off a closed vehicle deck on a ferry that is underway unless the passenger:
 

• Has received the express consent of the ferry’s master to enter the deck, if there are no packaged dangerous goods on the deck
• Is accompanied by a crew member, if there are packaged goods on the deck

The requirement to keep off a closed vehicle deck while underway does not apply when passengers are directed to return to their vehicles before the ferry docks. On BC Ferries vessels, the closed vehicle deck is the enclosed lower deck with limited or no openings to the outside environment.

Introduction

BC Ferries (BCF) moves more than 60,000 people and over 23,000 vehicles each day, providing access to the Mainland and Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast, the Northern and Southern Gulf Islands and the North Coast of British Columbia, and is one of the largest ferry service providers in the world. As a key transportation partner in the region, providing an essential public service, BC Ferries understands the crucial role we play in connecting communities and customers to the people and places important in their lives.

The demand on the coastal ferry system has never been higher, and often exceeds our ability to supply the service required. Consequently, the system must allow for the occasional, guaranteed movement of critical services and resources that serve the greater public interest, through a fair and equitable preferential travel process, that can be applied consistently. We have outlined the four different types of preferential travel that we can support.

 

Hierarchy of Preferential Travel

1.) VIP Travel - Security is of utmost importance due to the unique risks and challenges associated with high-profile individuals. Their public profile often exposes them to elevated risks, necessitating unique loading and unloading protocols and often short notice travel arrangements.

Eligibility - VIP loading is extended to:

• The Sovereign
• The Governor General of Canada
• The Lieutenant Governor of the Province of British Columbia
• The Premier of the Province of British Columbia
• Prime Minister of Canada
• VIPs as designated by the Board Chair, the President & CEO, and Vice Presidents.

All requests for VIP travel should be directed to Corporate Security.

 

2.) Priority Loading - is strictly reserved for organizations actively in pursuit of, or responding to, an existing emergency or critical incident, or performing a public duty that cannot reasonably be delayed. Specifically, any delay that would cause significant harm, disrupt essential emergency services, or fail to meet an urgent public safety need. Priority Loading is not granted for general convenience, operational efficiency, or situations that could reasonably be avoided with advanced planning or mitigation. Requests are evaluated based on established criteria, and unless travel is directly tied to an immediate emergency, you must follow the standard boarding process.

These organizations form a pre-qualified list of travellers resulting from a review process to determine if their case for priority travel meets the criteria above. These requests must be made in advance of travel and cannot be made for day of travel through the terminal or vessels directly.

All requests for pre-qualification for Priority Loading are sent to the Manager, Customer Relations who will review the request to ensure it meets the criteria above. The request will then be sent to the Directors of the Operations and Security Centre, Customer Care, and Terminal Operations to confirm approval or denial of the request.

 

3.) Medical Assured Loading (MAL) – is available for those travelling under the Travel Assistance Program (TAP) and who have a MAL letter from their medical practitioner that states that it is necessary for them to avoid a wait at the ferry terminal. MAL is applicable only for standard vehicles up to 20ft (6.10 m) in length and up to 7 ft (2.13 m) in height, consistent with TAP travel. This service is available on all routes, with the exception of those that are fully reservable.

Patients travelling on the following routes can make a free TAP booking online for any available sailing:

• Port Hardy – Prince Rupert
• Prince Rupert – Skidegate
• Port Hardy – Bella Coola, including sailings to Bella Bella, Klemtu, Shearwater and Ocean Falls
• Tsawwassen – Southern Gulf Islands

If space on the required sailing is not available, customers should contact our Customer Service Centre at 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779) and an agent will assist in finding an alternate sailing, or creating a prioritized waitlist booking due to the need for medical travel.
 

4.) Assured loading card - is a service designed for customers who require maximum travel flexibility due to the nature of their personal travel or business operations. This premium service allows for more flexible travel options on the following three routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

• Vancouver (Tsawwassen) – Victoria (Swartz Bay)
• Vancouver (Tsawwassen) – Nanaimo (Duke Point)
• Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) – Nanaimo (Departure Bay)

Customers require a registered BC Ferries Assured Loading Card, loaded with a group of 10 tickets (standard vehicle and driver fare), and must agree to the Terms and Conditions associated with the card registration and use.

Customers with questions about preferential travel outlined above should submit a request through Contact Us page or by calling 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779).

To support the health and wellness of our customers and employees, all BC Ferries vessels and terminals are smoke-free environments. The smoke-free environment applies to all BC Ferries customers and employees.

The policy applies to smoking of tobacco, vapour products, e-cigarettes, and medical and non-medical marijuana. No smoking of any kind is permitted on board all ferries and at all terminals.

The contents of this downloadable PDF regarding the rules and requirements relating to the operation of BC Ferries include the following:
 

1. Definitions
2. Carrier’s right to refuse passage
3. Carrier’s right to inspect
4. Requirement to comply with instructions and signage
5. Requirement to pay fares
6. Operational safety
7. Dangerous goods
8. Abandoned, disabled and unattended vehicles
9. Vehicles subject to special permits
10. Non-motorized transportation
11. Parking
12. Luggage
13. Transportation of firearms