Transportation facilities in Antigua include both public and privately run services. Traveling in Antigua is an absolute pleasure with many sightseeing places and highly developed transportation facilities. The roads in Antigua are winding, steep, unpaved and full of potholes. Left-hand driving rule is followed and the speed limit is set at 40 mph because the numbers of traffic signs are very less. At times, volcanic ash makes the roads slippery.
The public transportation vehicles have the letters “HA” or “HB” on their license plates. The buses ply from the capital, St. John’s to nearby villages. The buses do not stop at the airport or the northern tourist spots. Most of these buses have their routes posted on their front windows and are mainly privately owned mini-vans with a seating capacity of 15 people.
The government authorities manage the taxi services, setting fixed fares and not a metered system. For instance, the fare from the V.C. Bird International Airport to St. John’s is $7 and from the airport to Nelson’s Dockyard is $21. These taxis are readily available throughout Antigua and sometimes the drivers serve as excellent tour guides. The tourists and travelers are allowed to rent cars if they have a valid driver’s license of their own country. There are many local and international car rental agencies in Antigua and the average cost is $40-50 per day.
Antigua’s major airport is the V. C. Bird Airport which serves both local and international flights. It is located on the northern coast of Antigua and all commercial flights come down to this airport. Along with the newly built terminal, it serves as a gateway to the Eastern Caribbean. There are three usable airports, of which two have permanent-surface runways. BWIA International, Air Canada, British Airways, Carib Aviation, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Jamaica and LIAT are the main airlines that provide service to Antigua. BWIA runs several weekly flights to North America, Europe and some of the Caribbean Islands.
Shipping facilities in Antigua are excellent and several ports and harbors act as docking stations for sailboats, cruise ships, yachts and other boats. The main port is at St. John’s and receives cruise ships and the Barbuda Express. The other ports include Deepwater Harbor, Jolly Harbor, English Harbor and High Point Crabbs Peninsula.
