Coastal ferries are a critical part of British Columbia’s transportation system. Hundreds of thousands of British Columbians and visitors rely on it to transport food, other goods and themselves between the Lower Mainland, the islands and coastal communities. In a typical year, British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries) carries over 20 million passengers and 8 million vehicles.
On April 1, 2003, the Province transferred operating and financial control of BC Ferries to the BC Ferry Authority under legislation called the Coastal Ferry Act. The Authority is independent of government. The transfer resolved longstanding governance problems, creating a coastal ferry system that will be sustainable into the future.
The Province has a long term contract with BC Ferries to provide a defined number of ferry sailings on 25 designated routes. In return, the Province pays BC Ferries a service fee for each sailing (currently on 22 of the 25 routes). The Contract requires that BC Ferries hold an annual public meeting. At the public meeting, BC Ferries presents audited financial statements, a business plan outlining annual performance measures and the company’s Annual Report to the Ferry Commissioner which includes a Customer Satisfaction Survey. This information is posted on the BC Ferries website. You can view them by following the links below.
Since the contract was established in 2003, there have been 4 amendments negotiated between the Province and BC Ferries. An unofficial consolidated working copy of the contract has been prepared for ease of reference. The unofficial consolidated contract incorporates the original contract and resulting changes from the four amendments signed to-date. Please note that the unofficial consolidated contract is for ease of reference only and is not a legal document. The contract documents can also be viewed below.
The British Columbia Ferry Commission regulates BC Ferries' fares and service levels on 25 coastal routes. The Commission is independent of both the government and of BC Ferries. While the Ferry Commission’s website is comprehensive, the Commissioners Orders, Reports and other information can be easily obtained under Decisions and Reports.
British Columbia’s revitalized ferry system provides improved service and customer choice, guaranteed service levels, high levels of accountability and transparency and an independent regulator to oversee the ferry operator. |
