Tourist Taxis :
This type of local cab is coloured green with a white diamond
sign on the sides and bonnet as well as their unique tourist number
on the sides. They are regulated by the GTA (Gambia Tourism Authority)
and are fully insured. They are to be found usually in a rank
near to the major hotels or parked
near the front of Banjul
Airport.
The charges are fixed and are calculated for the majority of distances
& can be found on boards posted at the rank. If you use one
for an excursion the waiting time
prices are also fixed. Always confirm amounts levied with the
taxi driver before your departure. Lots of these taxis can be
found in Senegambia and make regular routes up to Kairaba Avenue
as well as towards the airport.
Standard Bush Taxi:
 These
cabs use regular routes have set prices and thus are the cheapest
method of hiring transport, widely used by Gambians from all walks
of life. Flag one down from anywhere along their route—you may
also be dropped whenever you please along this route. You can
get to practically any town in The Gambia using this type of transport—anywhere
as close as Serrekunda or further
than Basse up-country.
 From
Kairaba Avenue, you can take
cabs to Serrekunda (usually vans) or Westfield (usually yellow
cars), from whence you can join taxis to other towns. You can
also catch them going the other way, towards Bakau.
To get to Banjul, stand on Sait
Matty Road at the junction of the log pile (number 42)—though
given the often crowded sitting conditions, it is usually wise
to stand on the opposite side of the street and ride it into Bakau
and then make your cab trip from there. On a bush carrier, pay
your charge (“pas”) a few minutes before you plan to get off,
giving more time for bills requiring massive change (which you
should by all means avoid). It is courteous to tell the apprentice
(the boy who opens the door and collects money) where you wish
to get out when you are getting close to your destination. In
Wolof, “Meyima fii” means “Let me down here”; for other useful
phrases, see the Language section. To catch the driver’s attention,
either to hand him your money or request
a drop off, you can simply call out “Driver!”
These are standard 4 door cars which are coloured yellow with
a green stripe running along the sides and bonnet. These are the
ones that the majority of Gambians use and offer a cheaper alternative
than the tourist taxis above and can be found on most main roads.
However they are kept away from the entrances of the hotel
resorts by the authorities to prevent the drivers from hassling
tourists. Such transport is usually shared and the cost for short
trips when shared is about 20 pence.
Mini Vans
 These
kinds are also known as Bush Taxis and such vans come in all colours
and sizes but have yellow number plates and some operate mainly
between the resorts connecting up to
the urban areas while the majority of the routes make connections
between the major urban centres.
This mode of transport is shared with other
 passengers
though you can book one exclusively for you and your friends.
It is possible to rent the van on an exclusive basis if you are
part of a large group but yet again negotiate prices and confirm
before your departure. They can often be hired for the whole day
for tours around the country. Please note that many bush taxis
are in a terrible state of repair. If you are a seat belt user
you will find that the seat belts are often dusty due to lack
of use by passengers so take along a small damp cloth with which
to wipe it down.
Town Trip:
You can hire rides on what is called a "town trip" which
means you get exclusive use of it but expect to pay more than
for a shared cab. If you want a “town trip,” you want a taxi that
is hailed for your services alone. When you hire a cab for a town
trip, the driver will take you directly to your destination without
stopping for anyone else. The catch is, you must bargain for your
ride. Ask a Gambian for advice on what a town trip should cost
for a specific destination before hailing a cab; the driver try
to charge you an exorbitant price for being a visitor to The Gambia.
If a driver refuses to reduce his charges, you can always try
another. The price will be per trip rather than per person, so
the more the merrier and cheaper. Watch out for the green tourist
taxis however, as during the holiday season they have set meters
for high prices you should never pay.
In the off-season, they sometimes operate as regular taxis. One
idea to save money is to note down what the official green cabs
are charging then negotiate with one of the yellow taxis for an
amount of about 1/3 of this sum.
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A-Z of Travel Car
Hire Getting
Around Fares
