Vehicle Tolling

No – just like before, you simply drive up and cross, with no pre-booking.

You have until midnight the following day to pay online at SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay or on the Sandbanks Ferry app, or register your Vehicle Registration Mark to an ANPR Account with Tokens on it. 

For example, if you used the ferry at 8am on Monday, you have until midnight on Tuesday to pay or register.

We would always recommend paying in advance where possible to avoid the risk of forgetting. So, you can use the ‘Pay As Guest’ function to pay for your crossing up to 30 days in advance.

Toll prices are unchanged and bulk discounts are still available at the previously published rates. You’ll need to open an account to benefit from bulk purchase discounts.  Full pricing is available at SandbanksFerry.co.uk/ferry-tolls . 

No. You have until midnight the following day to pay online or register your Vehicle Registration Mark to an ANPR Account with Tokens on it. For example, if you used the ferry at 8am on Monday, you have until midnight on Tuesday to pay or register. We would always recommend paying in advance where possible to avoid the risk of forgetting.

There are two ways to pay, both available at SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay or on the Sandbanks Ferry app. You can find the links to download the app for Apple and Android devices on the same page.

1. You can ‘pay as guest’ before or after travel, from 30 days before your journey to any time before midnight on the day after your crossing.
2. Or you can set up an account, pre-load it with Tokens, register up to five Vehicle Registration Marks and benefit from discounted pricing on bulk purchases, with a Token deducted automatically each time you cross.

No, you can use the ‘Pay As Guest’ option at SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay to pay for your travel as you need it, with no need to set up an account.

If you’d like to set up an account, then simply follow our simple step-by-step User Guide, which can be found on this page.

No. From 1 July 2026, vehicle crossing payments in person by card, paper ticket (including blue paper tickets), or Sandbanks Ferry Toll Card (SFTC) will no longer be accepted at the toll booths.

All vehicle toll payments must be made online at SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay or on the Sandbanks Ferry app, up to 30 days prior to your journey, or by midnight the day following your crossing.

Online at SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay, or on the Sandbanks Ferry app. You can find the links to download the app for both Android and Apple devices on the same page.

All vehicle tolls are now paid online.

If you do not have internet access, the Ferry Office team are available to help you purchase ‘Pay As Guest’ Tokens, and to help you with setting up an account to benefit from bulk discount Token purchases.

To access this in-person assistance, please visit the Ferry Office during our opening hours of 9am to 2pm, which is located on the Studland side, on the left hand side as you disembark the ferry from Sandbanks. To avoid having to wait in case we are busy, please phone ahead on 01929 450203 to make an appointment.  

 Yes, the payment website is fully accessible via all devices and mobile device compatible.

Yes, if you set up an ANPR account, you can access it via the Sandbanks Ferry app, which is available for both iPhone and Android users via the App Store and Google Play. It’s the quickest and easiest way to manage your account, buy Tokens, and check your balance. You can also find links to download the apps at SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay.

If you have set up an account via the web browser on your computer or tablet, the same login will work on the mobile app, so you don’t need to create a new login. The same applies if you open an account using the app – it will automatically work if you log into your account on a web browser.

It’s important to note that you don’t need to download and use the app if you don’t wish to; you can simply use the web version, which has all the same functionality.

Yes, you can use a desktop computer or laptop. You don’t need a smartphone to pay for your travel, and you can access the payment site by any computer that is connected to the internet, simply by going to SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay .

The system is designed to reduce human error when entering your number plate. If you do enter your number plate incorrectly, you will likely receive an enforcement notice. Please get in touch and we’ll do our best to help. We understand that simple mistakes happen from time to time and will work to find a suitable resolve.

In the unlikely event that this technical error occurs, please contact customer services: [email protected] or ring 01929 450203 .

Yes, you can. If you have an ANPR account, you can go online and add their vehicle to your account, as you can have up to five vehicles per account.

Alternatively, you can make a one-off payment for any vehicle via SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay  – you don’t need to be the vehicle owner or registered keeper.

The ANPR system will record how many crossings you’ve made each day. If you have an account, your account will be automatically debited for the correct number of crossings.

If you wish to pay after your travel, you can pay for multiple crossings via a single transaction in the payment portal.

Pedestrians and cyclists are not affected by the change, and continue to pay as usual (cashless payments only). However Motorcycles will pay their tolls through the ANPR system.

You can set up an ANPR account now, via SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay, giving plenty of time to transfer over any credits from your SFTC account and prepare for the transition. We’re here to help if you need any support in doing so.

Please remember: from the 1st July 2026 onwards STFC accounts will not be accessible, so you must transfer any unused passes onto an ANPR account prior to this date.

Yes, you can add up to five vehicles (including Motorcycles) to one account.

The value of any paper tickets you have bought is protected, as you can have them converted into Tokens.

Firstly create a new ANPR account by following the steps at SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay, then visit the Ferry Office, bringing your unused paper tickets with you. Our staff will help you with the transition and there is no cost to changing them across.

However, paper tickets (including blue paper tickets) cannot be presented in person as a payment method for vehicle crossings from 1 July 2026, and need to be exchanged before 31 March 2027, after which they will no longer be exchangeable.

As paper tickets carry no expiry date, we are pleased to confirm that unused paper tickets brought into the Ferry Office by 31 March 2027 will be exchanged for evergreen ANPR Tokens on the same basis, with no end date applied.

The Ferry Office is open during our opening hours of 9am to 2pm and is located on the Studland side, on the left hand side as you disembark the ferry from Sandbanks.  To avoid having to wait in case we are busy, please ring ahead on 01929 450203 to make an appointment

Please contact [email protected] for further queries relating to paper tickets.

No. If you use the ferry regularly, we recommend setting up an account and pre-loading it with Tokens, which will be available in 10’s and 50’s as usual. A Token will be deducted automatically each time you cross, and you will be notified by email or app notification when you have two Tokens remaining. You can also check your balance and usage in your account at any time.

Additionally, if you check the ‘auto payment’ box on your account, if you ever run out of Tokens your stored payment card will be charged automatically (at the standard single crossing rate, rather than the discounted bulk token rate) at midnight on the day of travel. 

Yes, you will be able to pay for crossings for family and friends by adding their Vehicle Registration Mark to your account. You can register up to five vehicle registration numbers on your account, so you can add a visitor’s car as and when needed and remove it just as easily. 

Or, you can simply pay the full toll for them without using your account, via the ‘Pay As Guest’ option on SandbanksFerry.co.uk/Pay, by midnight the day after travel.

It is not possible to have a vehicle on more than one account. It is possible to have multiple users manage and have access to the same account, so if you share a vehicle with someone, you should share an account.

You cannot use the same email address or vehicle registration plate on more than one account. You can add multiple users to one account for managing a household of vehicles.

Full price tokens are valid for 30 days. Tokens purchased within a bundle (10, 50, or 100) via an ANPR account are valid for two years from the date of purchase.

All tickets, Tokens and Pay As Guest payments are non-refundable, so please check your journey details before you buy. Full details are in our Terms and Conditions, as published on our website.

No, Tokens are non-refundable. Full details are in our Terms and Conditions, as published on our website.

You will have until midnight the day following travel to update your account with your new vehicle details. If you don’t update your account in time, you will receive an Unpaid Toll Notification letter asking you to pay the toll.

 No. That camera records traffic volume only. Charges do not apply until you have passed through the toll booths and boarded the ferry.

 The ANPR system records all types of road-going vehicles which have a Vehicle Registration Mark, including cars, vans, lorries, motorcycles, buses, coaches and construction vehicles.

However, some types of very large vehicles are not suitable for travel on the ferry due to size, weight, or the carrying of hazardous substances. Please visit SandbanksFerry.co.uk/ferry-tolls for more information.

All vehicles which have a Vehicle Registration Mark are recorded and charged at the appropriate class. Electric vehicles, those marked as disabled tax class, and microcars are all subject to toll charges, just as they were prior to the introduction of ANPR.

Yes, the system can read foreign number plates.

The system photographs each vehicle multiple times from both the front and rear, in all lighting and weather conditions, and processes images automatically. Any unclear plates are reviewed by a member of the team.

Our system uses both Artificial Intelligence and human intervention and can read nearly 100% of Vehicle Registration Marks, including ‘ghost’ plates. With multiple cameras in operation, the likelihood of a crossing being missed is incredibly low.

Please note that changes to/from personalised plates must be updated on your account by you. We will not receive this update automatically from the DVLA.

Yes, the ANPR cameras will be operational throughout the day including outside of the ferry’s normal hours of operation. Our existing security cameras will also remain operational 24 hours a day.

 We have substantial backup power systems in place, including a generator, so the ANPR system will not be affected by any power outage.

In the unlikely event that the Ferry service is suspended, other than for planned maintenance, and you have paid for a crossing you cannot make, please contact customer services.

Yes. The Ferry Office will continue to be staffed during its existing opening hours, 9am to 2pm. There are no changes planned to office staffing or opening hours.

If you believe a notice has been sent in error, or if you have already paid your toll, you can submit an appeal online at sandbanksferry.zatappeal.com.

Please include any supporting evidence with your appeal. Please note that any dispute must be submitted within 28 days of the date of the crossing. Submitting an appeal does not affect your liability to make payment under the notice while the matter is being reviewed.

Once a toll has progressed to the UTN system, the Ferry Office Team can no longer process late payments directly or handle queries relating to UTNs, so please direct all communications via the appeals process as set out here and documented in the letter issued.

Yes. Appeals can be submitted online at sandbanksferry.zatappeal.com using the reference number on your notice. Please include any relevant supporting evidence. Appeals must be submitted within 28 days of the date of the crossing. Please note that submitting an appeal does not suspend your liability to make payment in the meantime.

Once a toll has progressed to the UTN system, the Ferry Office Team can no longer process late payments directly or handle queries relating to UTNs, so please direct all communications via the appeals process as set out here and documented in the letter issued.

The ANPR system only captures your vehicle number plate, make, model, and direction of travel. All objects other than the captured licence plate are blurred by a non-reversible algorithm, including the driver and passengers.

For account holders: we retain images of vehicles that have crossed on the Ferry for 90 days.

For Pay As Guest travellers,  images are deleted once payment is settled.

We retain enforcement-related data for 6 months after the final stage in the process.

You can close your account at any time and your data will be immediately deleted. If your account is inactive for two years, your account and data will automatically be deleted.

Tokens are non-refundable, including when you close your account.

Capita Business Service is Data Processor, The Bournemouth- Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company (The Sandbanks Ferry) is the Data Controller.

Our system is fully compliant with GDPR, as validated with the DVLA.

Your data will only be used for marketing purposes should you actively opt-in to receive news and communications from The Sandbanks Ferry.

No, your data is only retained within the relevant department at Capita Business Service.