BC Ferries Adding Outdoor Pet Areas To Two More Major Vessels

BC Ferries continues to make room for pets on its vessels.

“Our customers have told us that their pets need a better way to travel and we’ve taken steps to make that a reality. This is great news for customers preparing to travel with pets in the busy spring and summer seasons,” says Melanie Lucia, Vice-President of Customer Experience at BC Ferries.

“Thanks to feedback we received from pet owners and other customers, we plan to continue building on that momentum and make our vessels more pet-friendly.”

New outdoor pet areas will soon be on all four vessels servicing the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay route.

Outdoor pet areas are now available on the upper outer decks of the Spirit of British Columbia and the Spirit of Vancouver Island, and more outdoor pet areas are expected to open later this summer.

This means a total of eight vessels now have pet areas on upper decks, along with indoor facilities for pets and their owners, in time for the summer travel season.

This builds on the successful rollout of the outdoor upper deck pet areas introduced on the Earls Cove – Saltery Bay route in fall 2022, and the Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay and Powell River – Comox routes in spring 2023, followed by further expansion on the Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay – Langdale routes this past spring.

BC Ferries says it’s anticipated this will be its busiest summer to date and the new pet areas mean extra comfort for canine and feline friends and their people – through the peak season and beyond.

While on the outer decks, dogs must be kept on a one-metre leash at all times and cats must be in a travel carrier and must stay in the designated pet area marked with yellow lines. Waste bags and water bowls are provided.

There is a limit of two pets per owner.

To learn more, visit BC Ferries.