BC Ferries: Good News For Dogs And RVers

Dogs will be able to enjoy the journey with their humans on some routes. Photo from Shutterstock

Dogs And RV Travellers Will Both Be Happy With Recent BC Ferries Announcements

It seems like it’s been ages since BC Ferries had good news for us. Usually when BC Ferries makes an announcement it’s rarely good. Their annoncements are often about fare increases. But it’s not always about jacking up fares. Sometimes BC Ferries announces their introducing a new money making opportunity they’ve discovered their passengers will shell out more cash for. Not mentioning that lounge where you can pay some scandalous fee to sit and read a newspaper with an SBucks at hand.

However, last week BC Ferries made two announcements that will make a lot of people happy. As an RVing dog owner (Maybe it’s dog loving RV owner? haha), I was pretty darn happy to hear BC Ferries will now let my dogs join me upstairs. Dogs remain won’t have to remain on the car deck anymore. This is significant because no one wants their dogs on the car deck, breathing the same carbon monoxide that humans get sent upstairs to avoid.

Dogs WIll Be Allowed To Join Us Upstairs- With A Few Caveats.

Dog lovers will be excited to learn that pets will now be allowed above the car decks on 1 Vancouver Island-Mainland and 2 Sunshine Coast ferry route. Travellers with dogs can now bring them upstairs on Departure Bay (Nanaimo) to Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver). Additionally, dogs travelling to Powell River from Comox or Earls Cove To Saltery Bay (Sunshine Coast)will be able to enjoy the company of their humans on their travels. However, the new services for canine tourists come with some rules.

Rules For Dogs Who Travel On Dog Friendly Ferry Routes

Dogs will be allowed in a pet area on an upper deck. There will be a stairway from the car deck specifically for dogs and their humans. I guess that BC Ferries will need to accommodate disabled dogs and dogs with disabled humans somehow.

Dogs wanting to make use of the dog area on the outside deck have to bring a human on a 3-foot leash
Humans have to clean up after their pets. BC Ferries will provide supplies to do so.

BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall said that 90% of respondents to a survey were in favour of expanding the pet areas to the outer decks of other ferries. She added “One customer said leaving the dog in the car causes considerable stress on the pet. Another dog owner said that their pet has separation anxiety, so that can be stressful. And other customers have said it’s great to get the dog out of the car on a leash and just be able to walk around the outer decks,”

BC Ferries Are Giving RV Travellers A Break On Summer Routes

Last week, BC Ferries announced that they are knocking prices down for overheight vehicles on some sailings. The discount amounts to a whopping 50%, which is significant for RV owners wanting to get on or off Vancouver Island. So far, the discount is available on some sailings between’ Duke Point-Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen routes. Click here to find out more

It looks like BC Ferries is taking significant steps to winning back locals that have hated ferry travel for years now, mainly due to the sailing waits expense, I personally hate leaving my pets in an environment deemed to be too unsafe for me to spend the 1.5 hour journey in. But ridership also crashed due to Covid and post covid economic instability. Ridership on the ferries has noticeably decreased over the years. I’m guessing our privately owned ferry system is trying to win back some fans now. Time to listen to their customers.

Click here to find out about getting free camping on Vancouver Island.