View source for Transport in Barbados

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{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
[[File:Sagicor Financial building, Barbados.jpg|thumb|200px|The two 1997 Hino ACME minibuses on the [[ABC Highway]] close to the Garfield Sobers Roundabout (sponsored by the then Mutual Life of Barbados; now Sagicor) on 20 November 2000.]]
[[Barbados]] is a relatively small country with a length of {{convert|21|mi}} and a width of {{convert|14|mi}}.<ref>[http://www.totallybarbados.com/barbados/Travel/Transportation/ Transportation at Totally Barbados.]</ref> Barbados has {{convert|1,600|km|mi}} of public paved roads, two active marine ports in ([[Bridgetown Port]] and [[Port Saint Charles]]), remnants of a railway system, and one airport; the [[Grantley Adams International Airport|Sir Grantley Adams International Airport]], located in [[Christ Church, Barbados|Christ Church]].

==Roadways==
As a former British colony, Barbados was heavily influenced by the English culture and customs, which carried over into the infrastructure of Barbados. Similar to the driving habits in the [[United Kingdom]], people in Barbados also drive on the left side of the road. Barbados has a very dependable [[List of highways in Barbados|highway system]] of main roads that stem from the country's capital, [[Bridgetown]]. The highways are identified by the numbers one to seven. H1 signifies the first highway that runs north. The numbering continues sequentially in a clockwise direction. The most popular highway throughout the island is the [[ABC Highway|A. B. C. Highway]] ([[Tom Adams (politician)|Adams]]/[[Errol Barrow|Barrow]]/[[Hugh Gordon Cummins|Cummins]]).

Throughout the Barbados roadways, the most prominent traffic junctions are the two lane [[roundabouts]]. Like roundabouts seen in the [[United States]] vehicles in the inner most lane of the roundabout have the right of way, however, in Barbados the traffic moves in clockwise direction. The speed limit on all roads is {{convert|60|kph|0|abbr=on}} unless otherwise posted. The speed limit on the ABC Highway and the Spring Garden Highway is {{convert|80|kph|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Vehicle and Transport Guide">{{cite web |title=Vehicle and Transport Guide |url=https://barbadosdigitalnomads.com/transport-and-driving#private-vehicles |website=Barbados Digital Nomads |access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Barbados-Spring-Garden-Highway2.JPG|thumb|Spring Garden Highway close to [[Malibu Rum]].]]
In 2010, an assessment released by the [[Economist Intelligence Unit]] (EIU) of the [[United Kingdom]], ranked Barbados 6th in the world, and the top spot in the [[Western Hemisphere]] for road network density.<ref name="EIE 2010">{{cite news |title=Barbados' road networks among the most crowded in the world |first=Tony |last=Best |url=http://blog.moontownbarbados.com/2010/01/04/ |newspaper=[[The Daily Nation (Barbados)|Nation Newspaper]] |date=4 Jan 2010 |access-date=4 January 2010 |quote="Barbados has one of the world's most dense road networks, leading the Western Hemisphere with 3.7 kilometres of road for every kilometre of land, reported the EIU, giving it a global ranking of sixth, behind Macau, Malta, Bahrain, Singapore and Belgium. Not far away were Puerto Rico, {{convert|2.8|km|0|abbr=on}} and 9th; Jamaica {{convert|2.0|km|0|abbr=on}} and 10th; and Trinidad and Tobago 19th with {{convert|1.6|km|0|abbr=on}} of road." }}</ref>

===Road incidents===
In terms of traffic and accidents, the 2010 EIU report found that Barbados had 63.1 vehicles per kilometre of road (101.5/mi) on the island.<ref name="EIE 2010" /> A rank that placed Barbados as 23rd globally for number of vehicles, by the total surface area of roads.  For accident totals, Barbados placed 12th globally for road victims per 100,000 people; and 23rd globally (which was shared with The [[United States]], [[Greece]], [[Tunisia]], [[Estonia]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]), for actual road fatalities per 100,000 people.

==Public transport==
The [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706131949/http://www.mtw.gov.bb/ Ministry of Transport & Works] of Barbados oversees the affairs of the nation's roads, highways, and the public transport system.
Public transport services in Barbados include buses, minibuses, [[share taxis]] (locally known as [[ZR (bus)|ZRs]]), taxis, and car rentals.

[[Vehicle registration plates of Barbados#Special registration|Vehicle registration plates]] are assigned to different types of vehicles; e.g. BM, B, ZR, Z & H, as shown below.

=== Buses (BM) ===
The bus services in Barbados are available to all, however locals are the predominant group that use the public buses. The [[Barbados Transport Board]] is a government organization that is responsible for bus transportation. The Board started as an organization on 24 August 1955 and has operated ever since.
There are currently three hundred and four (304) buses in use around the island.

The government sets the fares (current adult fare (as of December 2024): $3.50 BBD).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transportboard.com/about-us/fare-policy/|title=Fare Policy|publisher=Barbados Transport Board|access-date=2024-12-20}}</ref>  Adults have to pay the full fare, but the public bus is free for all children in school uniforms, students with an institution ID that are under the age of eighteen and senior citizens with Barbados ID. Public government buses run on an exact fare system and are unable to give change. Payment is made for each one-way journey on a single bus; no transfers are given.

Some bus services run on a direct route to their destinations, however many services require a connection through Bridgetown.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transportboard.com/route-finder/|title=Route Finder|publisher=Barbados Transport Board|access-date=2020-01-23}}</ref>

=== Minibuses (B) ===
[[File:Barbados Midibus1.jpg|thumb|An ACME Hino Minibus in Speightstown, St. Peter, Barbados]]

There are also privately operated Mini- and Midibuses that are yellow with a blue stripe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ta.gov.bb/Routes/Minibus/|title=Minibus (B) Routes & Schedules|publisher=Barbados Transport Board|access-date=2020-01-23}}</ref> They operate mainly on the west and south coastline. The most popular routes are Bridgetown&ndash;Speightstown and Bridgetown&ndash;Sam Lord's Castle.

Minibus fares are the same as government bus fares, but are usually able to give change.

=== ZR Buses (ZR) ===
{{main|ZR (bus)}}
[[File:BdsZRNov95.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Typical ZR-bus with markings indicating that it serves the number 11 route.]] The ZRs (pronounced "Zed-Rs"), are privately owned mini-vans that run on specific predetermined routes. They are recognized by their white exterior and maroon stripe down the side. ZRs are independently owned
ZR bus fares are the same as government bus fares, but are usually able to give change.

=== Taxis (Z) ===
Taxi services are also available to all. Taxis, similarly to those in the United States and other first world countries, provide transportation at a predetermined government rate. However, the fares are not metered, and it is advisable to agree on the cost before entering a taxi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://caribya.com/barbados/taxis/|title=Taxis in Barbados|publisher=Caribya!|access-date=2020-01-24}}</ref>

=== Car rental (H) ===
Car rental in Barbados is provided through any of several local vehicle rental agencies; international rental-agencies are not well represented in Barbados.

They offer a wide variety of vehicles from luxury cars to vans, and also smaller open top cars.

Non-nationals who wish to drive in Barbados must be in possession of a Visitor Driving Permit issued by the Barbados Revenue Authority. Such permits are only issued to persons in possession of a valid foreign driving licence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.bb/Visit-Barbados/visitorpermitapplication |title=Online application for a Visitor's Permit |publisher=Barbados Revenue Authority| access-date=2021-10-05}}</ref>

==Railway==
[[File:Barbados Railway - The Graphic - 8th February 1882 - displayed in Sunbury Plantation House, Barbados.jpg|thumbnail|Barbados railway in ''The Graphic'', 8 February 1882]]
A proposal for a [[railway]] system in Barbados was first made in 1845 by [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. It was not until 1881 that construction began on the new {{Track gauge|3ft6in|lk=on}} [[narrow-gauge]] [[Barbados Railway]] by an independent company for the purpose of transporting [[sugar cane]] across the island to the seaport of [[Bridgetown]].<ref>[http://www.enuii.org/vulcan_foundry/miscellaneous/The%20Barbados%20Railway.pdf The History of the Barbados Railway]</ref> It was later [[Track gauge conversion|converted]] to {{Track gauge|2ft6in|lk=on}} [[narrow gauge]] by [[Everard Calthrop]].

From the early 20th century on, the railway system carried produce to and from factories to the city and also passengers to and from the city. However, complications arose. There was a lack of funding for the maintenance and upkeep of the system. Also, the poor designs of the tracks and cars posed a challenge against the high tides of the [[Atlantic Ocean]].  To keep the railway in use, the government of Barbados took over in 1916; however, it continued to decay. By 1937 the railway was shut down due to safety issues.

There are still remnants of the railway today and many can be seen by the coastlines. And every year there is a marathon run & walk along the old route from Bridgetown to Carrington on the East Coast.<ref>[http://www.ufukuzo.com/Home/events/great-train-hike-run Great Train Run]</ref>

In 1881 a horse-drawn [[tram]]way, the [[Barbados Tramway Company]], was constructed around Bridgetown by the [[Scotland|Scottish]] railway engineer [[Robert Francis Fairlie|Robert Fairlie]] and ceased operations in 1925.<ref>[http://www.tramz.com/bb/00.html The Tramways of Bridgetown Barbados]</ref>

==Waterways==
Barbados also provides ports for large cruise ships and transportation of goods into and out of the country. The main ports reside in [[Bridgetown]], Saint Michael (Deep Water Harbour), and in [[Speightstown]], St. Peter (the [[Port Charles Marina]]). These are regulated by the [[Barbados Port Authority]]. Large cruise ships dock at the Deep Water Harbour at the southwestern end of the island.

===Boating===
Boating to and from Barbados requires following all International and local laws.  If arriving in Barbados it is important to remember that legally you must enter an approved port of entry, which means stopping by the Harbour-master first at [[Bridgetown]].  Laws also protect the coral reefs, and boaters should be careful not to drop anchor outside of areas approved by the government of Barbados in order to protect the corals and possibly other undersea infrastructure that might be present around the island.

Barbados currently no longer has the Schooner vessel that once operated between Speightstown and Bridgetown.  However, in recent years, with many heavy traffic problems on the island, there have been calls to revive it.

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist}}
* ''Much of the material in this article is adapted from the [[CIA World Factbook]] 2000.''

===Further reading===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Horsford|first=Jim|title=From the Caribbean to the Atlantic : a brief history of the Barbados Railway|year=2001|publisher=Paul Catchpole|location=Alcester, Warwickshire|isbn=1900340127}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* http://www.mtw.gov.bb/ - Ministry of Transport and Works
* http://www.ta.gov.bb/ - The Transport Authority
* http://www.transportboard.com/ - The Public transport provider of the Barbados Gov't
* http://www.barbadosmaritime.com/ - The Barbados Maritime Ship Registry (BMSR)
* [http://www.totallybarbados.com/barbados/Travel/Transportation/ Barbados Transportation]
* [http://www.tramz.com/bb/00.html The Tramways of Barbados]: historical survey with map and 16 illustrations
* http://barbadospocketguide.com/our-island-barbados/history-of-barbados.html

{{Barbados topics}}
{{Americas topic|Transport in}}

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[[Category:Transport in Barbados| ]]