Having recently traveled to The Bahamas, I landed at Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport (IATA: NAS) which is about 16KM (or about 10 miles) from the town center. If you don’t have a pre-arranged transport from your resort or hotel, then you, probably, will be paying anything between $25 to $36 in taxi fees, depending on whom you ask at the airport.
Airport to city center
But if you’re traveling budget, then there’s a public transport option available. A bus service runs just outside of the airport and costs $2.50 one-way. Unfortunately, the airport doesn’t have a dedicated bus terminal so all you have to do is walk outside the airport for about 5 minutes, to the John F Kennedy Drive’s roundabout, as shown in the picture below. (The red square indicates the location of the bus stop):
Remember that once you reach the roundabout, there’s no official bus stop there.
Cross the road on the other side (remember that driving in The Bahamas is on the left side, which is same as UK) to catch the bus 12B that goes into the city center. There is no bus stop so just wait by the roadside and wave it down when it comes. Buses run about every 30 minutes. Note that these mini-buses are called Jitneys in The Bahamas and they accommodate about 30 people.
[Mini-buses or Jitney in The Bahamas]
[This is Jitney 12B in Nassau, The Bahamas]
This jitney will take about 30-45 minutes to reach the city center. Make sure to let the driver know about your destination and they will stop the jitney there.
City center to airport
The same bus 12B goes from the city center to the airport. The starting point of the bus stop is located at the intersection of Frederick st. and Bay st. in the center. The bus starts from here and drives along the coastal West Bay St (Not the Bay St, which is essentially east-side), all the way to Blake street, when it enters the inside of the island towards John F Kennedy drive.
So if you are staying in any of the hotels along the West Bay street, then you do not need to go to the town center to catch the bus. You can stop by this coastal road and wave your hand for the bus to pick you up.
The return ride from the city center to the airport also takes about 30-45 minutes depending on the weather, traffic and number of times it has to make stops for people to get in or get out.
[Route of jitney 12B from city center to airport]
Some things to remember:
- Carry change (USD or BSD is good, as they are 1:1). Anything more than $5 can get changed on the bus.
- If you take up any space more than a seat, then you have to pay extra. For huge bag, it is $5 incl fare.
- Not very convenient if you have big bags.
- Bus routes don’t appear on Google Maps, and the route 12B doesn’t show up on the official government listing (PDF).
- Busses run from 6am to 10pm every day, including holidays.
- You may have to up to 30 mins or more depending on location, day of the week and time of the day because the drivers will try and fill up the bus as much as possible before starting.
- A ride costs $2.50 per adult, irrespective of where you board and get down.