Driving from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay, you can no longer pay at the booth: every vehicle must be booked and paid in advance. The return from Nanaimo still sells car fares at the terminal. Both ways, BC Ferries allows 1 hour 40 to 42 minutes for the crossing, with 7 or 8 sailings a day from 13 October.
BC Ferries seasonal schedules for 8 September – 12 October 2026 and 13 October – 16 December 2026 (later periods to 31 March 2027 also published), cross-checked against the printable versions; checked 9 October 2026 BC Ferries – Seasonal schedule, Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Nanaimo (Departure Bay) · 2026-10-09
Compare the two halves of a return trip on Route 2 and almost everything matches. The Queen of Oak Bay and the Queen of Cowichan were alternating on the run on 9 October 2026; the timetable gives 1 hour 40 to 42 minutes in each direction; an adult pays $21.00 both ways and a standard car $89.00. The difference is at the ticket booth. Heading west to Nanaimo, BC Ferries no longer sells any vehicle fare at the terminal: cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles and tour operators must book and pay in advance. Heading east to West Vancouver, you can still drive up, pay and wait your turn.
The reason is the terminal at Horseshoe Bay. BC Ferries is rebuilding it under the Horseshoe Bay & Langdale Infrastructure Program, and the work has reduced the space for queuing vehicles by 25%. Prepaying keeps cars off the highway approach, which is why the rule applies only in that direction and only to this route; traffic for Langdale and Bowen Island from the same terminal is not affected.
Even the departure times are not mirror images: westbound boats leave at 08:35 and 11:05, eastbound at 08:40 and 10:55, and the evenings differ more, so check the direction you need.
The fare guide prints Route 2 as two tables, and they differ in one column. Westbound to Nanaimo, the At Terminal vehicle price reads N/A: cars, motorcycles, buses and commercial vehicles travel only on a Prepaid or Saver fare bought in advance. Eastbound, the same $89.00 car fare is still sold at the booth, or you can pay a $20 reservation fee and settle the fare on arrival.
Passenger fares are identical both ways, and the people in a vehicle pay them on top of the vehicle fare. Fares include applicable taxes; a further 5% for fuel is charged when you pay. One charge is specific to this route: the Nanaimo Port Authority collects a per-person fee for everyone carried into or out of Nanaimo Harbour, on top of the BC Ferries fare.
| Adult, 12 and over | $ 21 |
| Adult, Saver fare (online, selected sailings) | $ 15 |
| Child, 5 to 11 | $ 10.50 |
| Under 5 | Free |
| BC senior, Monday to Thursday except statutory holidays | Free |
| Standard vehicle up to 20 ft, Prepaid | $ 89 |
| Each foot over 20 ft, Prepaid | $ 8 |
| Motorcycle, Prepaid | $ 44.50 |
| Standard vehicle up to 20 ft, At Terminal or Prepaid | $ 89 |
| Each foot over 20 ft | $ 8 |
| Reservation fee if you book but pay at the terminal | $ 20 |
| Adult, 12 and over | $ 0.50 |
| Child, 5 to 11 | $ 0.30 |
BC Ferries fare guide effective 16 June 2026 (version 26-05), Route 2 pages for each direction, read 9 October 2026 BC Ferries – Fares effective June 16, 2026 (PDF fare guide) · 2026-10-09
Route 2 runs across the Strait of Georgia from Horseshoe Bay, where Highway 1 ends on the mainland, 25 minutes by car from downtown Vancouver according to BC Ferries, to Departure Bay in Nanaimo, where Highway 1 picks up again on Vancouver Island. Departure Bay's own terminal page lists Horseshoe Bay as its destination, while Horseshoe Bay also serves Langdale on the Sunshine Coast and Snug Cove on Bowen Island, so follow the signs for Nanaimo when you arrive.
For Nanaimo, the drive to Horseshoe Bay only makes sense with a booking in hand. Booked vehicles bound for Departure Bay can check in from 120 minutes before the sailing until 30 minutes before; miss that window and the booking loses its priority. A new booking can be created up to 30 minutes before departure, a cut-off BC Ferries shortened from two hours during the construction. After check-in, read the lane number on your ticket, since the layout has changed.
Work under the Horseshoe Bay & Langdale Infrastructure Program has cut the vehicle space at the terminal by a quarter. At extreme tides, buses, motorhomes and other low or long-overhang vehicles may be held for a later boat. TransLink, West Vancouver Blue Bus, the Squamish Connector and taxis serve the terminal.
Departure Bay is in Nanaimo itself, about five minutes' drive north of the city centre. Eastbound, the old rules still apply: with a booking, check in between 60 and 30 minutes before the sailing; without one, vehicles can buy a ticket until 5 minutes before departure and foot passengers until 10 minutes before, in order of arrival.
The terminal closes overnight and nobody may wait on the property outside service hours, which matters if you are being dropped off for the 06:15. BC Transit, the Island Link Bus, the Vancouver Island Connector coach and local taxi firms all serve it.
Westbound there is no drive-up option for vehicles, motorcycles included. Bookings for Departure Bay can be made until 30 minutes before the sailing, as long as space remains.
BC Ferries offers email alerts when space opens on a full Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay sailing, and says a waitlist in both directions is on the way.
Foot passengers and cyclists can still sail from Horseshoe Bay with or without a booking; ticket sales close 10 minutes before departure.
From the same Horseshoe Bay terminal, the Langdale ferry to the Sunshine Coast still takes vehicles without a booking, in order of arrival. Travelling without a car, the Hullo catamaran from Coal Harbour runs between the downtown harbours of Vancouver and Nanaimo. Another BC Ferries car route into Nanaimo runs from Tsawwassen to Duke Point, and for Victoria the main route is the Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay ferry.
BC Ferries has already published Route 2 timetables to the end of March 2027; the holiday period from 17 December has its own times.
Not with a vehicle. Since 15 October 2025 the At Terminal and Reservation Only fare types are unavailable from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay, so every vehicle needs a Prepaid or Saver booking. Foot passengers and cyclists can still buy at the terminal.
No. From Departure Bay a car can turn up and pay the $89.00 At Terminal fare plus passenger fares, boarding in order of arrival after booked traffic. Ticket sales for vehicles close 5 minutes before the sailing.
It is the Nanaimo Port Authority fee: $0.50 for each passenger aged 12 or over and $0.30 for children aged 5 to 11, charged for people carried into or out of Nanaimo Harbour, in addition to the BC Ferries fare.
Between 13 October and 16 December the last boat from Nanaimo is 21:25 on Mondays to Thursdays, arriving at Horseshoe Bay at 23:05. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays a 22:40 runs as well, except on 4, 6, 11 and 13 December.
Booking check-in for vehicles bound for Departure Bay opens 120 minutes before departure and closes 30 minutes before. Turn up earlier or later and you lose the booking's priority.
Only on Saturday 10 October, at 16:00. On Friday 9, Sunday 11 and Monday 12 October the gap runs from 13:25 to 18:20.