March 19, 2025
BC Ferries expands discount fares; adjusts parking, food & fare pricing to support long-term sustainability
VICTORIA, BC – BC Ferries is expanding savings opportunities for passengers and adjusting fares, parking rates, and food pricing to better match demand and help cover rising operational costs. These changes will support long-term financial sustainability by ensuring continued investment in safe, reliable, and affordable service while giving customers more ways to save.
More Saver Fares
BC Ferries is expanding discount availability, with a 30% increase in Saver fare spaces. These discounted fares encourage customers to book ahead and travel during off-peak times including early morning and late evening sailings or midday sailings during the week, improving availability on popular sailings and making better use of fleet capacity. Saver fares are also available for foot passengers for $15 when booked in advance on routes between Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.
“We expect that the addition of 350,000 Saver fares will help spread out demand, distribute traffic and reduce congestion on our major routes, especially as we head into our busy peak summer season,” said Joanne Carpendale, Chief Financial Officer for BC Ferries. “As we continue to face challenges with maintaining an aging fleet, we will continue to use every tool we have available to offer a broad range of fare options to better accommodate demand and meet customer expectations.”
Fare Adjustments
Starting April 1, 2025, BC Ferries will adjust fares in line with the 3.2% system-wide annual increase approved by the BC Ferries Commissioner. Rather than applying a flat increase to all fares, BC Ferries is using this opportunity to make targeted adjustments that optimize capacity, balance costs across routes, and provide more ways for customers to save. These changes are designed to encourage travel on sailings with more space available, helping to manage demand while keeping the system running efficiently. Customers who plan ahead and choose off-peak sailings will have more opportunities to save, while BC Ferries ensures that revenue adjustments support long-term service reliability.
On our major routes, drive-up fares for a car and adult will increase by approximately $0.90 for an adult and $7.60 for a standard vehicle. This will apply to the approximately 25% of customers that drive up to the terminal. The remainder of our customers (75%) already take advantage of our Prepaid, Saver or Reservation-only options to guarantee a space on the sailing of their choice.
These fare adjustments are consistent with the regulator-approved increases set before the start of Performance Term 6 (PT6) and are necessary to keep pace with rising costs. Expanding flexible pricing and incentivizing off-peak travel helps reduce congestion and make better use of available space.
BC Ferries continues to offer a range of fare options, including Prepaid, Saver or Reservation-only fare choices, along with discounts for over height vehicles, walk-on passenger pre-booking and seasonal promotions. These initiatives are designed to encourage customers to book in advance and travel during off-peak times, helping to balance demand and optimize available capacity. However, without additional vessels, accommodating peak-period travel remains a challenge. While discounted fares and incentives have successfully shifted some demand, peak-season sailings still averaged 92% full last year, leaving little flexibility to redistribute travellers. Even with an expansion of Saver fares, demand has outpaced available space and we expect it will continue to do so in the future.
The company has proposed building five New Major Vessels and extending the life of two existing ships, adding a net new vessel to the system to increase capacity and improve service. The upcoming decision by the BC Ferries Commissioner, expected to be made public on March 31, will be critical in the ability of BC Ferries to meet growing demand.
No-Show Fee Change for Saver & Prepaid Fares
To improve availability and reduce empty spaces, no-show fees for Saver and Prepaid fares will increase by $5 to $10. This encourages passengers to cancel unwanted bookings in advance. Customers can still change their sailing up to one hour before departure or cancel four or more days in advance for a $5 fee. This applies to routes between Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, between Horseshoe Bay and Sunshine Coast, and between Comox and Powell River.
Parking Rate Adjustments
Parking rates will increase based on location and aligned with market rates while ensuring continued investment in safe, accessible, and well-maintained facilities. This adjustment is necessary to keep pace with operating expenses and rising costs for lighting, security, snow removal, paving and general upkeep, while maintaining affordability for customers. Even with this adjustment, BC Ferries’ parking rates remain among the lowest compared to similar transportation providers ensuring customers continue to have access to affordable parking options.
Food & Beverage Adjustments
A 3.5% increase in food and beverage pricing will be implemented to reflect rising costs of ingredients, transportation, and operations. This adjustment is based on an annual review of market trends and cost pressures, with targeted price changes applied to specific menu items. Customers can expect minor increases, for example ranging from $0.10 on a muffin to $0.90 on a BC Burger Combo, ensuring that BC Ferries continues to offer high-quality, competitively priced food and beverage options.
More details on specific fare changes will be available in the fare index at https://www.bcferries.com/routes-fares/ferry-fares
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