Bus service?

[BonnieVA]

Does anyone have any somewhat recent experience with the public bus transportation on Grand Cayman? Let me know your experiences & thoughts.

 

Thanks!

[drew sailbum]

Public buses are actually a form of private enterprise in Grand Cayman. There are certain defined routes, but no form of timetable that would be familiar to a larger integrated bus system. Sometimes buses will delay departure from the depot (next to the library on Edward Street in George Town) until they have a certian number of passengers.

 

Routes are designated by both letters and numbers in a colored circle on the vehicle.

 

Fares vary from CI$2 to CI$4 (US$2.50 to US$5) per person, depending upon how far you travel. Many drivers will divert off teh route for an extra fare. Pay the driver when you exit the bus.

 

Some buses are basically a large passenger van, while others are a bit more familiar bus style. All varieties of buses often have fold down seats in the aisle.

 

Buses are generally well maintained and air conditioned. Some buses will have music playing or maybe a DVD on a drop down screen.

 

Buses do not go to all parts of the island. The most notable exculded area is Rum Point - the bus stops about 3 or 4 miles away in Hutland.

[BonnieVA]

There are certain defined routes, but no form of timetable that would be familiar to a larger integrated bus system. Sometimes buses will delay departure from the depot (next to the library on Edward Street in George Town) until they have a certian number of passengers.

 

Buses do not go to all parts of the island. The most notable exculded area is Rum Point - the bus stops about 3 or 4 miles away in Hutland.

 

Wow, I'm glad you responded because Rum Pt was one of my potential destinations! I never imagined the system didn't get all the way out there. It would be better to rent a car, I guess, on this island. The idea of not having a defined schedule is scary when you need to be assured of making it back to port on time!

[nolaAlive]

My experience with buses that run along the left coast is that they run on more or less regular schedules. Full or not, I think they depart from the depot every 15 minutes max for places like 7 Mile Beach and Turtle Farm. I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for a bus going in either direction.

 

To more remote and less tourist traveled routes, I can believe service may not be every 15 minutes - it can take over an hour to get to some of remote areas.