Timetable effective from Monday 6 October 2025 (Shetland Islands Council PDF, last modified 24 November 2025), shown as valid to 4 October 2026. The council's page now announces a new timetable from Monday 5 October 2026 but still links this 2025 edition. Monday to Thursday shown by default; Friday, Saturday and Sunday switch in by day of the week.
Map – Bressay Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult foot passenger, return | £2.80 |
| Over 60s (with SIC Pass), return | £0.80 |
| Disabled concessionary SIC Pass holder, return | Free |
| Adult, 10-journey ticket (return journeys) | £28.00 |
| Over 60s (with SIC Pass), 10-journey ticket | £8.00 |
| Car and driver (up to and including 5.50 m), return | £16.50 |
| Car and driver, return, on production of discount card | £10.60 |
| Vehicle up to 5.50 m, 10-journey ticket | £106.00 |
| Motorcycle and driver, return | £13.00 |
| Motorcycle and driver, return, on production of discount card | £8.50 |
| Motorcycle, 10-journey ticket | £85.00 |
| Motorhome 5.5 to 9 m, return | £23.50 |
| Motorhome 9 to 12 m, return | £27.50 |
| Motorhome over 12 m, return | £32.00 |
| Trailer or caravan under 3.5 m, return (added to the towing vehicle fare) | £8.00 |
| Trailer or caravan 3.5 to 5.5 m, return (added to the towing vehicle fare) | £11.50 |
| Trailer or caravan over 5.5 m, return (added to the towing vehicle fare) | £15.50 |
Council fare table 2026/27 (valid 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027). The fares below are return fares for Mainland to Bressay, payable in full on the outbound journey. Fares are paid on board, not when booking; passengers and cars or vans up to 5.5 m can be booked online, vehicles over 5.5 m only through the booking office. The 'on production of card' rates are for holders of the council's discount card, and season tickets are available on application. Loading starts at least five minutes before the advertised sailing time. All fares in pounds sterling (GBP).
The Bressay ferry crosses Bressay Sound in seven minutes, joining Lerwick's Esplanade terminal with the terminal at Maryfield on the island of Bressay. It is run by Shetland Islands Council and is the shortest crossing in the council's own table of journey times, with a timetable built around commuters and walkers as much as visitors.
The timetable is dense. On a Monday to Thursday the council's document lists 25 departures from Lerwick, the first at 06:15 and the last at 23:00, and 25 from Bressay from 06:00 to 22:45. Fridays add two sailings after 23:00, Saturdays run a slightly different pattern with a late boat at 23:59 and a 01:00 in the small hours, and Sundays thin out between 09:00 and 12:30. On Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January there is a festive timetable of ten sailings each way.
There is an unusual wrinkle in the paperwork this autumn. The council's timetable page now says a new timetable is effective from Monday 5 October 2026, but the file it links is still the edition effective from 6 October 2025, last modified in November 2025. This page therefore treats the times as valid up to 4 October and shows a reference-only warning afterwards. The council's ferry status page showed Bressay running normally on 28 September.
Fares are return fares paid on board on the outbound journey. An adult return is £2.80, a car and driver £16.50 or £10.60 with the council's discount card, and a motorhome £23.50 to £32 depending on length. You can book passengers and vehicles under 5.5 m online, or ring the booking office on 01595 745804; longer vehicles must go through the office. Vehicles start loading at least five minutes before the advertised time, so arrive early with a booking. There is also a Bressay season ticket application on the council's fares page for regular travellers.
- Arrive at the slipway a few minutes before departure; vehicle queues build quickly in summer.
- Check the operator's notices before travelling — tides, weather and maintenance affect sailings.
- Confirm accepted payment methods: several crossings are contactless-only.