Transportation in Martinique, while not as efficient as in France, is continually improving to allow its population to move around as best as possible! Although there are still areas for improvement, there are many means of transportation available, as well as equally effective alternative modes. Between buses, taxis, maritime shuttles, and ferries, you have a choice! Which means of transport should you choose according to your needs? Let's find out together!
Buses
To travel from north to south through the center, there is nothing better than the bus and the TCSP ! Buses are available in all the municipalities of Martinique. In the center, i.e., in the municipalities of Schoelcher, Lamentin, Saint-Joseph, and Fort-de-France, it's the Mozaik buses that serve users in more than a hundred different neighborhoods.
The journey between Fort-de-France and Carrère is made with the TCSP, which has been in operation since 2018. The services are quite regu…
…lar during the week: about every 15 minutes on weekdays with schedules from 6 am to 8 pm (also on Saturdays), and every 30 minutes on weekends with schedules from 6 am to 8 pm on Sunday. It takes 35 minutes to connect the two places.
In the south, it's the Sudlib network that allows you to travel from Carrère to the southern municipalities (Marin, François, Vauclin, Rivière-Pilote, and Rivière-Salée), thanks to the Martinique Transport bus network. Sudlib also allows you to move freely between the various southern municipalities or in the neighborhoods of each municipality, with regular schedules. The TCSP also makes a journey between Fort-de-France and Mahault (with the same schedules as Carrere, except on Sundays when it ends its rotations at 1 pm), in Lamentin, which allows users to take the large buses of Martinique Transport to Sainte-Marie, Trinité, Basse-Pointe, Grand-Rivière, and Gros-Morne.
Concerning the north, Martinique Transport provides services from Fort-de-France to Saint-Pierre, passing through Schoelcher (even though since the Covid-19 pandemic, drivers no longer stop in this town), Case-Pilote, Carbet, and Bellefontaine. From Saint-Pierre, it is also possible to take the bus to Morne-Rouge. All these networks offer subscriptions.
Station Taxis
Widely available in Martinique, even though the activity has slowed down in recent years, these taxis remain a good way to get around in Martinique. They serve towns such as Ducos, François, or Vauclin, in particular, to the city center, Fort-de-France. The advantage of station taxis, also known as collective taxis, is their speed and convenience. Indeed, by taking a Sudlib bus, it does not go towards Fort-de-France but Carrère, which means you have to take two means of transport to reach Fort-de-France, while with the taxi, there is no connection to make.
However, their price is higher than the bus (count notably 3.80 euros for the one-way trip between François and Fort-de-France)! These medium-sized vehicles can accommodate up to 8 passengers.
However, they are much less easy to take because they do not have fixed schedules, so there is no guarantee of the time at which you can get on one of these taxis. However, it remains a good way to move quickly from a town with collective taxis to the city center or the Galleria shopping center, for example, or vice versa. The taxis do not offer subscriptions to users.
Maritime Shuttles
The tropical shuttles are maritime shuttles that allow users from the south to travel to Fort-de-France (for work or leisure) without going by bus. Accessible from the Malecon, they welcome hundreds of people every day to the various destinations offered. This also allows those coming from the north or the center to join the south, by sea and at advantageous times (from 5:30 am to 10 pm, in some cases). They cross the sea in a straight line and avoid various traffic jams and other road inconveniences.
They allow you to go to various places in Trois-Ilets such as the village of Trois-Ilets, Pointe du Bout, Anse Mitan, Anse à l'Ane, as well as the Case-Pilote pier in the north. It is the only northern town served by boat. The rates are affordable (5 euros for a one-way trip and 7 euros for a round trip) and the shuttles are available from Monday to Sunday. They also offer subscriptions according to the users' needs.
Ferries
To make inter-island connections, it's possible to take the ferry with the Express des îles, from the port of Fort-de-France. The ferry offers destinations like Guadeloupe, with Marie-Galante and Les Saintes (which are regional lines), as well as Saint Lucia, Dominica (which are international lines). They offer very advantageous rates.
Regional lines start at 29 euros, while international lines start at 99 euros. These destinations are perfect for visiting neighboring islands during short stays (on weekends) or longer stays.
Air Travel
For international travel, Martinique's airport is a great way to see the world. It offers flights at a wide range of prices. It allows for quick flights to Guadeloupe, Grande Case, Marie-Galante, Cayenne, and other Caribbean islands such as Saint-Martin, Haiti, Santo Domingo, Dominica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, or Saint Lucia.
It also offers flights to Paris, Nantes, Miami, Montreal, and Toronto. Over the years, numerous international flights are added or removed, which is why it's important to stay informed about what the airport offers, quite regularly.
There you have it, now you know all about the various modes of transportation in Martinique ! Don't hesitate to check the transport companies' websites to know the precise schedules and places served by them.