Transportation & Maps
BC Ferries schedules are essential reading for most visitors. Floatplanes skim to a halt at docks in Port Washington and Bedwell Harbour.
And a pioneering rideshare program allows visitors to leave their cars at home and catch rides with local drivers.
BC Ferries
There are plenty of options when sailing to North Pender's Otter Bay via the Swartz Bay terminal south of Victoria on Vancouver Island. Some are direct routes while others make stops at Galiano, Mayne and/or Saturna islands. Important note: Passengers pay for a return fare and no ticket or payment is required when returning from Otter Bay.
Travellers from the BC mainland can catch morning ferries seven days a week from Tsawwassen. The two-hour passage includes stops on Galiano and Mayne islands. Visitors can opt to sail via Swartz Bay as well. Be sure to ask for a thoroughfare ticket to Pender when checking in at the Tsawwassen terminal.
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When travelling home, pick up a date-stamped voucher on board the ferry (either from a dispensing machine, snack bar or crew member) and use it for a reduced throughfare ticket on Swartz Bay travel to Tsawwassen. Pender passengers can also return to Tsawwassen directly, again after brief stopovers on Mayne and Galiano.
Car Stops
An innovative ride-share program was launched in 2008 by the Moving Around Pender Alternative Transportation Society. Residents and visitors without wheels can get lifts from friendly islanders at more than two dozen voluntary "car stops" dotted around North and South Pender.
Air Travel
Seaplanes arrive daily at the Port Washington wharf on North Pender and at Poet's Cove Resort & Spa in Bedwell Harbour. Seair Seaplanes, Saltspring Air, Harbour Air and Seattle-based Kenmore Air provide service.
Taxis
Hire a ride by land or sea. Pender Island Cab Co. offers comfortable lifts in late-model autos along with island tours and special service for wedding groups. Water taxi service to the Penders is available from Dockside Charters (departing from the Port Sidney Marina on Vancouver Island).
Maps
The free Pender Island Visitors' Guide & Map is available aboard BC Ferries and outside the Chamber of Commerce office in the Driftwood Centre. Pender Island Realty also produces a useful map of the island.
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Transportation & Maps
Pender Islands