BC Ferries vs NHTSA
Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.
BC Ferries vs NHTSA: common questions
Which is more reliable, BC Ferries or NHTSA?
Both are neck-and-neck — BC Ferries and NHTSA each measure 99.02% uptime over 90 days on our probe schedule. Reliability here is verified from our own scheduled checks; use the 30-day bars above to see which has been steadier lately.
Which is faster, BC Ferries or NHTSA?
NHTSA has the lower median latency in our checks — BC Ferries responds in 795 ms versus NHTSA at 760 ms (P50). Tail latency (P95) is in the table above; for most workloads the median is the number that shapes how the API feels.
Do BC Ferries and NHTSA need an API key?
Neither needs a paid key — BC Ferries is callable with no signup, and NHTSA is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.
Can I call BC Ferries and NHTSA from the browser?
Yes — both BC Ferries and NHTSA send CORS headers over HTTPS, so front-end code can fetch either directly with no backend proxy. That makes them easy to swap in a client-side app while you compare responses.
Are BC Ferries and NHTSA free for commercial use?
BC Ferries has unclear commercial terms, and NHTSA allows commercial use on its free tier. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.