When planning a vacation to the Caribbean, one question always comes to mind: Do you need a car to get around in Nassau? We talked previously about jitneys and rental cars in some of our other episodes, but do you really need a car to get around in Nassau?
Now, what I would say to you is: it all depends on how adventurous you are.
There are many ways to navigate the island. You can walk, you can take the bus, you can rent a car, or you can hire a professional driver. Below, we break down every option to help you decide how to spend your time in the Bahamas.
The Public Transport Option: Jitneys
During the day, there are public buses that can take you to certain regions of the island. Your best bet is when you are taking these public buses, which are called jitneys.
We talked about that in previous guides, but here is the reality of the situation:
- You must ask the driver and let him know where you’re going.
- You have to see if he’s going in that direction or how close he can get you to it.
- And then, you walk from that point, right?
It is a cost-effective method, but it requires local knowledge and physical effort.
The Walking Method: For The Adventurous
There are some folks that come here who prefer to travel on foot. Nassau is only about 21 miles by 7 miles. So, for some folks who walk a lot, who do a lot of exercising, they can walk everywhere that they need to go.
Now, if that’s you, God bless you, right?
However, you must consider the logistics. Sometimes you want to go to Atlantis, and remember, walking to Atlantis from Nassau, you have to go over a bridge, right? So, you must include that in your extra steps. Why would you want to be spending time walking everywhere?
Basically, for me, I would think you’re coming here on vacation. You come here to have fun, see the place, you know, mingle with the people, the food, and the culture. Why would you want to be spending time walking everywhere when you can use other options?
Option 3: Traditional Car Rentals
Or, you could rent a car, right?
If you choose this path, there are specific things you need to know about driving in this region:
- You drive it on the left.
- Sometimes the cars’ wheels are on the right.
- As for GPS for directions, sometimes it’s accurate, sometimes it’s not.
It all depends on how adventurous you are. But there is a new wave of transportation available on the island that changes the rental game entirely.
The Modern Solution: Drive Green Car Rentals
If you are looking for a rental, you might be interested in a business based here in sunny Nassau, Bahamas.
The company is called Drive Green Car Rentals, and it’s an all-electric car rental agency. This project actually started out as a business plan for an entrepreneurship class here at the local university. After a couple of weeks of trial and going back and forth, persons were like, “You know something? You need to actually do this.”
So, the advisors, the lecturers, and parents said, “You know something? You need to actually look into this.” This was actually back in 2017. Fast forward a bit now, and they are actually ready to really go full stream. They actually have been renting on a car-sharing platform for the last just about year or so, but now they are actually ready to go ahead and do a full launch.
What Is It Like to Drive Electric in the Bahamas?
This experience entails what it’s like to do business here in the Bahamas and what it’s like to have a car rental agency in the Bahamas.
What is it like to drive in the Bahamas?
As mentioned, we drive on the left. But when you rent with Drive Green, you also get to see a bit about these specialized cars.
Right now, the fleet includes the Fiat 500 Electric, which is a very, very, very fun car to drive. The agency also rents first-generation Nissan Leafs.
Range Anxiety and Island Dimensions
A common question regarding electric rentals is the range. Nassau is actually 7 miles by 21 miles. So, it’s a very, very, very tiny island.
When you look at the range of these cars, they all get about 80 miles of range.
- Island Size: 7 miles by 21 miles.
- Car Range: 80 miles.
- Math: Yeah, you do the math.
You don’t have to worry about any range anxiety there.
The agency is also looking into getting a few more vehicles. They are looking at the Chevy Bolt, which has 238 miles of range. They are dying to get a Tesla, but might resist the urge on that one for a little while. There is also a Kia Soul Electric coming in.
Minimal Servicing and Maintenance
For those worried about reliability, we can do some work on how to do the minimal servicing. I put that in brackets because there really is no servicing.
To give you accurate data on the reliability:
- The founder’s first electric car was actually a 2014 Nissan Leaf.
- It was bought in 2017 through Enterprise and brought down into Nassau.
- In 2017, they put something like 25,000 miles on it.
- They just sold it about a month ago, and have had zero issues with it.
The only thing they have had to change was the wipers and the tires. That’s it. That’s it. In 25,000 miles, and three years here, that’s all they have had to change. So, things have actually been pretty good for that.
Right now, they are about to start working on marketing and working on getting some more charging stations on the island. Right now, they only have a handful of charging stations, but look to get a ton more.
The Stress-Free Option: Hiring a Local Taxi
While you can rent a car, navigate the GPS issues, and remember to drive on the left, there is another perspective.
You can book a taxi. They take you to your destinations. Not only do we take you to your destinations, we’re local. So, we could give you some local flavor, local information about where you’re going, some advice, and some tips, right?
You can get all that rather than trying to find all of this stuff out as you move along and as you walk along. I mean, to me, it makes no sense to struggle. But for some people, I guess that’s what you want to do.
Maximize Your Time
For me, when I travel, I try to hook up with a local guy so he can give me some advice and show me some places where I can have the best possible time.
This helps you maximize your time, spending time with the people, the culture, the food, and all of the different excursions that the island has to offer.
Services Offered by Ricky Love Taxi
Now, for those who don’t want to walk and don’t want to drive, you can book with your boy Ricky Love.
- Website & Apps: I got a website. You can go ahead and hit me up on the website. We got like a Uber taxi booking app. Go to our main page, download it, and sign up with Ricky Love Taxi just like an Uber app.
- Direct Contact: Or, you can just hit me up direct on WhatsApp concierge, and I can answer any questions and even arrange bookings for you, if you feel more comfortable doing that.
- Flexible Payment Methods: We got all these different payment methods. We got cash, we got credit cards, we even got cryptocurrency, right? So, but if you don’t use the cryptocurrency, go ahead and hit me up so I can provide a wallet for you to pay with that cryptocurrency.
- Reliability: We are vetted drivers. We have 90 plus five-star reviews on Google, so you know who you are getting and what you’re getting.
- Quality: Clean cars, on-time pricing, on-time rides.
The Problem with Random Apps
With the other apps and the other random drivers, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get. You might think you will only be getting one price, and at the end of the ride, it might be a little bit more.
Remember, all of our rides are metered rides.
Also, this place isn’t so dengerous, so hope you’ll be safe.
Conclusion: Make the Right Choice
So, what I say to you is this: You can come, you can walk, you can get around and struggle and waste all your time getting around, or you get straight to the point.
You can hook up with a local like me. Let me take you where you need to go and give you all the insights, give you all the recommendations.
Or, if you prefer to drive yourself, you can look into the passionate team at Drive Green Car Rentals. The project involves people who have a huge passion for the environment and music—the founder is actually a full-time organist, classically trained in both organ and piano. Whether you choose the Fiat 500 Electric or the Nissan Leaf, you are supporting a local business.
So, do you need a car to get around in Nassau?
You can come, walk, and struggle. Or you can rent a car—remembering to drive on the left and check the GPS. Or, best of all, you can hire a local to maximize your time with the people and the culture.