Nassau Taxi Rates 2026: What Getting Around Really Costs

Three things surprise almost every first-time visitor trying to work out how to get around Nassau, Bahamas.
There is no Uber. There is no Lyft. And the taxis don’t have meters.

None of that is a problem once you understand the system. It’s only a problem if you find out at the kerb with your luggage in the driver’s hand. So here’s how Nassau taxi rates actually work, from a Bahamian company that’s been driving these roads since 2012.

How the Nassau taxi zone system works

Nassau taxi fares are set by government through a zone system rather than a meter. That’s the whole thing in one sentence, and it has three consequences:

One — the price is fixed before you move, not calculated as you go. So you agree it first. Always. Every time. This is not haggling and nobody will think you rude; it’s simply how the transaction works here.

Two — always ask whether the quoted price is per person or for the whole vehicle. This single question prevents almost every fare dispute in Nassau. A quote that sounds reasonable for four people is a very different number if it turns out to be each.

Three — official Nassau taxi rates generally cover the first two passengers. Additional passengers are typically a few dollars each on top. There’s usually a small charge for excess or oversized bags, and a $1 toll each way on any trip crossing the Paradise Island bridge. Late-night trips can carry a surcharge.

How to spot a licensed driver: look for the yellow number plate and a visible taxi licence. Many drivers also display the blue BahamaHost decal, meaning they’ve completed the Ministry of Tourism’s hospitality certification. At the cruise port and the airport, use the marked, dispatcher-managed queue rather than accepting an approach from someone off the rank.

Nassau taxi rates by route

Indicative ranges for one to two passengers. Fares move and sources quote differently, so treat these as a sanity check rather than gospel — and confirm with your driver before you set off.

Route	Rough cost (1–2 passengers)	Time
Cruise port → Atlantis / Paradise Island	$20–$35	15–20 min
Cruise port → Cable Beach / Baha Mar	$18–$25	15–20 min
Cruise port → Airport (LPIA)	$35–$40	25–30 min
Airport → Cable Beach / Baha Mar	$25–$35	15–20 min
Airport → Downtown Nassau	$25–$35	20–25 min
Within downtown Nassau	Around $6 and up	Short

Add roughly $3–$5 for each passenger beyond the first two, plus the $1 bridge toll each way for Paradise Island.

Tipping: 10–15% is customary if the driver has been helpful or handled your bags.

Is there Uber in Nassau?

No. Uber and Lyft do not operate in Nassau or anywhere else in the Bahamas, and there’s no sign of that changing. Your options are licensed taxis, jitney buses, water taxis, a rental car, or a pre-booked tour or transfer. Plan accordingly — this catches out a lot of visitors who assume they’ll just open an app on arrival.

The other four ways to get around Nassau

Jitney buses — $1.25

Nassau’s minibuses. Locals use them daily, they run frequently through the day, and at $1.25 the jitney bus fare is a fraction of anything else.

The catches: exact change only, cash only, no published timetable, and they don’t enter the cruise port complex — you’ll walk out to Bay Street to catch one. Routes running west along Bay Street get you toward Cable Beach. Atlantis is not on the jitney network, so don’t plan around that.

They’re small, crowded and unmarked beyond a route number, which makes them intimidating the first time and completely straightforward the second. If you’re comfortable with public transport anywhere else, you’ll be fine.

Water taxi to Paradise Island — a few dollars each way

The Nassau water taxi departs from the dock at Prince George Wharf, crosses the harbour in about ten minutes, and lands you a short walk from Atlantis and the Ocean Club. Reported fares vary from around $4 to $10 each way depending on source and season, so ask at the dock.

Cheaper than a cab, faster than the bridge when traffic backs up, and the crossing is worth doing once for its own sake. Check the last return departure before you cross — this is where cruise passengers get caught out.

Rental car — from around $70–$100 a day

The right call if you’re staying several days, want to reach the western end of the island, or simply prefer your own schedule. Bear in mind:

• Bahamians drive on the left. Most visitors adapt within an hour, but the first few roundabouts demand attention.
• Downtown parking is genuinely tight during cruise season.
• Confirm insurance, fuel policy and minimum driver age when you book.

Guided tour — when it beats Nassau taxi rates outright

Here’s the arithmetic people don’t run.

Say four of you want to see Fort Charlotte, the Queen’s Staircase, John Watling’s, and get to a beach. That’s four separate taxi legs. At $20–25 a leg with extra-passenger charges, plus waiting time at each stop where you’re either paying the driver to wait or hoping to find another cab — realistically $100 or more in fares, spent across a day of standing at kerbs.

Our three-hour group tour is $175 per adult and $85 for children twelve and under, pick-up and drop-off included. Our Custom tours are $460 for the minicooper or $560 for the jeep — for four, that’s around $112 each, in your own vehicle, on your own schedule, with a guide.

Sometimes the taxi is cheaper. If you’re a couple going to one beach and back, take the taxi. But for a group doing multiple stops, the maths usually isn’t close, and it’s worth running before you assume.

Six things worth knowing

1. The Bahamian dollar is pegged one-to-one to the US dollar. Both accepted everywhere. No need to change money.
2. Spend your Bahamian dollars before you leave. They’re difficult to exchange once you’re home.
3. Carry small bills. Ones, fives and tens. Drivers and vendors will rarely break a fifty.
4. Traffic stacks when multiple ships are in port. On a heavy day Bay Street slows to a crawl. Build in a buffer.
5. Some taxis take cards, most prefer cash. Assume cash.
6. Agree the fare. Every time. If you take one thing from this page, that’s it.

Heading in from a ship? Our Nassau cruise port day guide covers what’s walkable and what needs a ride.

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Nassau taxi rates change. This page was last verified 23/08/2026 — if something here doesn’t match what you’re quoted, the driver’s posted rate is the one that counts.

Skipping the fare maths altogether? Our group tours run daily at 9am and 1pm, and our custom tours put you in your own air-conditioned Jeep or Mini Cooper with a local guide. Pick-up from hotels and the cruise port included.