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. |
