Sandbanks ferry: times, prices and the 2026 refit
The Sandbanks ferry is off for refit from 2 November 2026, return due in December. When running: £6.26 a car, £1.18 on foot, every 20 minutes.
Facts checked against official sources on 1 November 2026. How we research
Sandbanks ferry prices for 2026
Tolls are set for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, after the Department for Transport approved the increase, and apply when the ferry returns from its refit. The ferry has been fully cashless since 1 April 2026, and since 1 July 2026 every vehicle, motorbikes included, is charged by number plate recognition (ANPR) and paid for online. The table gives the single-crossing tolls from the operator’s tolls page, re-read on 1 November 2026.
| Who or what | Toll per crossing | How it is paid | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foot passenger, Sandbanks to Shell Bay | £1.18 | Card or contactless at the ferry | Ticket valid on the day bought only | Sandbanks Ferry tolls |
| Foot passenger, Shell Bay to Sandbanks | Free | Nothing to pay | None stated | Sandbanks Ferry tolls |
| Bicycle | £1.18 | Card or contactless at the ferry | Must be pushed or carried on board | Sandbanks Ferry tolls |
| Motorbike | £1.18 | Online or app (ANPR) | Pay within the deadline below | Sandbanks Ferry tolls |
| Car or van | £6.26 | Online or app (ANPR) | Up to 3,500kg; covers everyone in the vehicle | Sandbanks Ferry tolls |
| Goods vehicle | £12.52 | Online or app (ANPR) | Over 3,500kg, up to 20,000kg laden | Sandbanks Ferry tolls |
| Bus or coach | £12.52 | Online or app (ANPR) | 18 or more seats, two axles at most, ferry lift suspension; no tri-axle coaches | Sandbanks Ferry tolls |
| Any vehicle towing | Double that vehicle’s toll | Online or app (ANPR) | Applies to any vehicle that is towing | Sandbanks Ferry tolls |
| Dog or other pet | Free | Nothing to pay | Must be on a lead | Sandbanks Ferry terms and conditions |
- Toll per crossing
- £1.18
- How it is paid
- Card or contactless at the ferry
- Conditions
- Ticket valid on the day bought only
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry tolls
- Toll per crossing
- Free
- How it is paid
- Nothing to pay
- Conditions
- None stated
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry tolls
- Toll per crossing
- £1.18
- How it is paid
- Card or contactless at the ferry
- Conditions
- Must be pushed or carried on board
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry tolls
- Toll per crossing
- £1.18
- How it is paid
- Online or app (ANPR)
- Conditions
- Pay within the deadline below
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry tolls
- Toll per crossing
- £6.26
- How it is paid
- Online or app (ANPR)
- Conditions
- Up to 3,500kg; covers everyone in the vehicle
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry tolls
- Toll per crossing
- £12.52
- How it is paid
- Online or app (ANPR)
- Conditions
- Over 3,500kg, up to 20,000kg laden
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry tolls
- Toll per crossing
- £12.52
- How it is paid
- Online or app (ANPR)
- Conditions
- 18 or more seats, two axles at most, ferry lift suspension; no tri-axle coaches
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry tolls
- Toll per crossing
- Double that vehicle’s toll
- How it is paid
- Online or app (ANPR)
- Conditions
- Applies to any vehicle that is towing
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry tolls
- Toll per crossing
- Free
- How it is paid
- Nothing to pay
- Conditions
- Must be on a lead
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry terms and conditions
The vehicle toll covers everyone travelling in or on the vehicle. A passenger who gets out and walks on board is treated as a foot passenger and pays the foot fare. There is no pre-booking for anyone: the ferry is boarded first come, first served, and the operator says queues can form at busy times.
Bulk tickets and Tokens
Regular users can buy crossings in bulk. Vehicle bundles are sold as Tokens through a free online account; pedestrian and cycle books are sold at the Ferry Office. Prices are from the operator’s 6 March 2026 toll press release.
| Bundle | Price | Per crossing (calculated) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 car Tokens | £41.94 | About £4.19 | Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF) |
| 50 car Tokens | £198.13 | About £3.96 | Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF) |
| 10 goods vehicle or coach Tokens | £83.88 | About £8.39 | Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF) |
| 50 goods vehicle or coach Tokens | £396.26 | About £7.93 | Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF) |
| 50 pedestrian or cycle tickets | £53.10 | About £1.06 | Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF) |
| 100 pedestrian or cycle tickets | £100.30 | About £1.00 | Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF) |
- Price
- £41.94
- Per crossing (calculated)
- About £4.19
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF)
- Price
- £198.13
- Per crossing (calculated)
- About £3.96
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF)
- Price
- £83.88
- Per crossing (calculated)
- About £8.39
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF)
- Price
- £396.26
- Per crossing (calculated)
- About £7.93
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF)
- Price
- £53.10
- Per crossing (calculated)
- About £1.06
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF)
- Price
- £100.30
- Per crossing (calculated)
- About £1.00
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry toll changes, 6 March 2026 (PDF)
The per-crossing column divides the bundle price by the number of crossings. Bundle Tokens are valid for two years from purchase; full-price Tokens bought singly are valid for 30 days, and no Token is refundable (Sandbanks Ferry terms and conditions). Without an account, a car pays the full £6.26 for every crossing, in either direction.
Sandbanks ferry times
This is the normal timetable, which does not run during the refit from 2 November 2026. The operator calls it a guide, as crossings are subject to shipping movements, maintenance and other operational factors. At busy times a shuttle service runs to clear queues.
| Leaving from | Satnav | Departures | First ferry | Last ferry | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbanks (Poole side) | BH13 7QN | On the hour, 20 past and 20 to | 7am | 11pm | Sandbanks Ferry timetables |
| Shell Bay (Studland side) | BH19 3BA | 10 past, half past and 10 to | 7.10am | 11.10pm | Sandbanks Ferry timetables |
| Sandbanks, Christmas Day | BH13 7QN | On the hour and half past | 8am | 6pm | Sandbanks Ferry timetables |
| Shell Bay, Christmas Day | BH19 3BA | 10 past and 20 to | 8.10am | 6.10pm | Sandbanks Ferry timetables |
- Satnav
- BH13 7QN
- Departures
- On the hour, 20 past and 20 to
- First ferry
- 7am
- Last ferry
- 11pm
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry timetables
- Satnav
- BH19 3BA
- Departures
- 10 past, half past and 10 to
- First ferry
- 7.10am
- Last ferry
- 11.10pm
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry timetables
- Satnav
- BH13 7QN
- Departures
- On the hour and half past
- First ferry
- 8am
- Last ferry
- 6pm
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry timetables
- Satnav
- BH19 3BA
- Departures
- 10 past and 20 to
- First ferry
- 8.10am
- Last ferry
- 6.10pm
- Source
- Sandbanks Ferry timetables
The ferry has offered free crossings on Christmas Day since 2019, inviting passengers to donate their fare to the RNLI instead (Sandbanks Ferry, 27 January 2026). Whether it will be back from its refit by 25 December 2026 is not yet known.
Is the Sandbanks ferry running today?
No, not from Monday 2 November 2026 until the refit ends; the operator says it will announce the return date in December 2026. It posts a service status line on its home page (Sandbanks Ferry home page), which on 1 November 2026, the last day before the refit, read “Ferry service is running normally” under a notice that the service would pause from 2 November. Its terms say the ferry can be stopped or the timetable changed without notice for good reason, such as severe weather, and that the status is shown on the website where possible.
How do you pay for the Sandbanks ferry?
In a car, van or on a motorbike, there is nothing to pay at the ferry. Cameras by the South Haven causeway winch hut and at the Shell Bay toll booths read the number plate, and the toll is paid at sandbanksferry.co.uk/pay or in the Sandbanks Ferry app, up to 30 days before travelling or by midnight on the day after the crossing. A crossing at 8am on Monday must be paid by midnight on Tuesday. No account is needed: “Pay As Guest” takes a registration number and a debit or credit card, and anyone can pay for any vehicle (Sandbanks Ferry: vehicle tolls, your questions answered).
Miss that deadline and the registered keeper is posted an Unpaid Toll Notification for the toll plus an administration charge, initially set at £24.52, payable within 28 days (Sandbanks Ferry: ANPR tolls). Electric cars, microcars and disabled tax class vehicles are all charged the normal toll, and the cameras can read foreign plates. A camera near the Pipley Bridge bus stop counts traffic only and charges nothing.
On foot or by bike, pay at the ferry by card or contactless. Cash is not taken for any ticket.
The Ferry Office, on the Studland side to the left as you leave the ferry from Sandbanks, opens 9am to 2pm and helps people without internet access to pay. Its number is 01929 450203, and the operator suggests ringing ahead for an appointment.
Rules on board and at the slipways
- Cyclists must not ride on the landing stages or on or off the ferry, under the company’s 2020 byelaws (Sandbanks Ferry byelaws (PDF)). Scooters, skateboards and roller skates are pushed or carried too. Fishing from the ferry or the slipways is banned under the same byelaws.
- Wheelchairs and mobility scooters can use the ferry. Unless staff say otherwise, users stay in the passenger corridor for the crossing. Pushchairs can be taken on, with the child kept in the pushchair where possible.
- Smoking and vaping are not allowed on board, and nor are flash photography or tripods without prior arrangement.
- Vehicles over 20 tonnes gross weight are not carried, and hazardous substances in bulk are refused.
Where to park for the ferry
On the Sandbanks side, BCP Council’s Ferry Way bays, at the ferry’s own postcode BH13 7QN, allow one hour for £2.50 with no return within the hour (BCP Council: Ferry Way). For a longer stay, the 532-space Sandbanks surface car park and the peninsula roads are compared by season in Sandbanks parking. On the Studland side, the National Trust runs the Shell Bay car park, covered on the Sandbanks beach page.
Walking on as a foot passenger avoids the vehicle toll. The crossing lands at Shell Bay, part of the National Trust’s Studland Bay, where dogs are allowed on the beaches all year, on a lead under 2 metres from 1 May to 30 September (National Trust: Studland Bay).
Getting round without the ferry during the refit
With the ferry away, Shell Bay and the Isle of Purbeck are reached by road round Poole Harbour. The operator’s directions bring traffic to Shell Bay on the B3351 from Corfe Castle or from Swanage, through Studland village (Sandbanks Ferry: directions). No official journey time or distance for the road route was found.
The morebus Purbeck Breezer 50 from Bournemouth to Swanage normally crosses on the ferry. morebus’s pages could not be read for this check, so its refit timetable is not given here: look at morebus before relying on the bus between 2 November and the ferry’s return. Boat trips from Poole Quay to Swanage are compared in boat trips from Poole, but most of them run only from 1 April to 31 October, so most are not sailing during the refit.
The ferry itself
The present ferry, Bramble Bush Bay, came into service in 1994 and carries 48 cars. It is 74.4 metres long, was built by Richard Dunston at Hessle on the Humber, and is named after a small bay near the Shell Bay side. The motor ferry service began on 15 July 1926, and the route is run by the Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company, owned by the Kean family since 1983 (Sandbanks Ferry: our history). On the Sandbanks side, the operator’s directions place the slipway at the very end of Banks Road, just after the Haven Hotel.
Check prices for Haven Hotel on Expedia →
Frequently asked questions
Is there a chain ferry at Sandbanks?
Yes. The Sandbanks Ferry is a chain ferry: Bramble Bush Bay crosses the harbour entrance on chains between Sandbanks and Shell Bay, and the operator’s terms ban sitting or standing on the prows, chains or any moving part.
Can you get a ferry from Poole to Swanage?
Not on the chain ferry: it lands at Shell Bay, at the northern tip of the Studland peninsula, and Swanage is further on by road along the B3351. A direct sailing runs from Poole Quay to Swanage in season; times and prices are in boat trips from Poole.
Do I have to book the Sandbanks ferry?
No. The operator does not take bookings or reservations, and cannot guarantee a place on a particular crossing. Vehicle tolls can be paid in advance, but paying does not reserve a space.
What happens if I made a mistake with my number plate?
The operator says a wrong registration will likely produce an enforcement notice, and asks drivers to contact it. A notice sent in error can be appealed within 28 days of the crossing at sandbanksferry.zatappeal.com.
Related guides
- Sandbanks parking: car parks and roads on the peninsula by season
- Sandbanks beach: lifeguards, dogs and Shell Bay across the water
- Boat trips from Poole
- Poole ferry terminal: sailings to the Channel Islands and St Malo
- Things to do in Bournemouth