This last fiscal year, we carried more customers and vehicles than ever before. That was made possible through the expertise and dedication of our 5,000-plus employees, who put safety first and ensure the reliability of our ferry system — day in and day out. During the year, we achieved significant milestones and moved forward several strategic priorities:

• Advanced our fleet renewal program, including approval and early progress on four Summit Class vessels (formerly known as New Major Vessels) while continuing the rollout of Island Class vessels to replace aging ships and strengthen system capacity and resilience.
• Made progress on critical terminal infrastructure upgrades,including the completion of the first phase of construction at Horseshoe Bay and Langdale terminals to address aging infrastructure and improve safety, efficiency and reliability.
• Improved operational performance, achieving higher on-time performance and significantly reducing sailing cancellations, reflecting stronger fleet availability and operational practices.
• Expanded affordability options for customers, introducing more Saver fares and enhanced booking tools that provide greater travel certainty and help make better use of available capacity.
• Strengthened workforce stability, through continued investment in recruitment, training and retention, improving operational readiness and reducing crew-related disruptions.

We have also taken disciplined action to manage financial pressures within the current framework. Over the past two years alone, we have reduced more than $3 billion in planned long-term capital investments through project deferrals, scope adjustments and revised timing. We have also strengthened spending controls and pursued operational efficiencies to better align expenditures with current revenue and funding realities.

Despite this progress, BC Ferries continues to face a significant financial challenge that has been building over many years. While we saw higher passenger and vehicle volumes across the system this last year, costs rose faster than revenues across much of the ferry system — a trend anticipated to continue. Aging vessels and terminals, increasing maintenance needs, capacity constraints on major routes and inflationary pressures all contributed to the gap between what it costs to deliver service and the revenues available under the current funding framework.

As we prepare our next performance term submission (PT7) in September 2026, our focus will be on sustaining the ferry services British Columbians rely on today—safely, reliably and over the long term. Through this process, we must carefully balance affordability, investment and service levels for the people, communities and businesses that depend on BC Ferries.

Looking ahead, our commitment remains unchanged. BC Ferries is an essential public service, and the role we play in connecting coastal communities has never been more important. We are proud of the progress made this past year and grateful for the dedication of our people, who deliver this service every day with professionalism, care and expertise. We will continue to pursue opportunities to reduce the pressure on customer fares while maintaining service levels, improving reliability and making the investments needed to sustain the system.

Above all, we remain focused on what matters most: operating safely, serving reliably and working collaboratively to secure a sustainable future for British Columbia's coastal ferry system.

 

 

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