Your Ultimate Guide To Barbados

Private Transportation

You've touched down at Barbados' only airport, the Grantley Adams International Airport and gone through immigration and customs. It's now time to get to your destination. On exiting the airport the choices of private transportation are endless as they all await visitors and locals who need such a service.

For those travelling in large groups, a preferred choice might be an airport transfer. These are mini-type vans which comfortably carry passengers as well as luggage. The convenience of an airport transfer is that the taxi is parked outside the arrivals hall waiting for you. This is an excellent way to remove the unnecessary hassle that is sometimes associated with waiting for a taxi.

Throughout your stay in Barbados you will want to get around and a taxi is quite an ideal way to do so as one can easily be called to wherever you are, to take you wherever you want to go. Taxis on the island offer a flexible service that allows them to not only be available throughout the course of any given day but also be available throughout the wee hours of the morning. If your preference is sightseeing and you want to book a particular taxi for the whole day, such an arrangement is possible as well.

For the larger groups that will require a larger taxi service, there's also the option of the tour bus/coaches. This way groups can book such a service that takes them sightseeing with seating at elevated levels offering a better view of Barbados.

Mini-buses

Mini-buses across Barbados, have a predominately yellow colour scheme with a blue stripe running along the side panels, with the destination posted on a small sign inside the windscreen. These are generally smaller than the government run buses and can be found on all the same routes. Mini-buses often play loud music or use a musical horn. They also, usually, carry a conductor and can give you back change, so exact fare is not required. They will generally accept American dollars, but not other foreign currency.

Zed-Rs

The 'Zed-Rs' or mini-vans are, like the yellow mini-buses, privately owned. These plentiful vehicles with a predominately white colour scheme and a maroon stripe along the side travel the majority of the routes as their larger counterparts. A black circle with a white number inside indicates the route. 'Zed-Rs' also typically carry a conductor who will often try to escort you to his or her vehicle (and away from another mini-vans), and conduct highly verbal, sometime dramatic altercations with other conductors and drivers that are often less problematic then they appear.

The terminals for the mini-buses and 'Zed-Rs' are typically a converted parking lot filled with the vehicles and are within walking distance of the terminals for the government operated buses, with three located at Probyn Street (just outside the Barbados Fire Service headquarters), River Road and Cheapside (outside the General Post Office) in the Bridgetown area.

Designated areas to wait for mini-buses or 'Zed-Rs' are called bus stops. These are usually marked with a circular red and white sign with 'To City' and 'Out of City' posted in black lettering, with the former indicating the route into Bridgetown and the latter the route out of Bridgetown.

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