Transport in Lebanon

Transportation in Lebanon varies greatly in quality from the ultramodern Beirut International Airport to poor road conditions in many parts of the country. The Lebanese civil war between 1975 and 1990 and the 2006 Lebanon War with Israel severely damaged the country's infrastructure.

Roads

Lebanon has an extensive road network throughout the country, generally in good conditions, though it varies. The main roads in the country are:

• Beirut - Byblos - Tripoli - Aarida
• Beirut - Sidon - Sour - Naqoura
• Beirut - Bhamdoun Al Mhatta - Chtaura - Masnaa
• Chtaura - Zahle - Baalbek - Qaa
• Tripoli - Bcharre - Baalbek

Motorways

Part of the main road network have been updated to dual carriageway, four-lane motorways, which are the following:

• Beirut - Tripoli. Length: 81 km.
• Beirut - Kfar Badde. Length: 65 km.
• Beirut - Sofar. Length: 26 km.
• Tripoli - Khane. Length: 20 km.

Buses

An overland trans-desert bus service between Beirut, Haifa, Damascus and Baghdad was established by the Nairn Transport Company of Damascus in 1923.

Beirut has frequent bus connections to other cities in Lebanon and major cities in Syria. The Lebanese Commuting Company, or LCC in short, is just one of a handful brands of public transportations all over Lebanon. On the other hand, the publicly owned buses are managed by le Office des Chemins de Fer et des Transports en Commun (OCFTC), or the "Railway and Public Transportation Authority" in English. Buses for northern destinations and Syria leave from Charles Helou Station.

Buses are popular and inexpensive and can be stopped anywhere along the way simply by hailing. Never take a bus without verifying the destination with the driver. The fair is for LBP1500 ($1). There are Public Buses (are not regular) and Private Buses (are in general better organized than Public buses).

Ferries

Apart from the international airport, the Port of Beirut is another port of entry. As a final destination, anyone can also reach Lebanon by ferry from Cyprus or by road from Damascus. The Port of Tripoli (Lebanon) is also a port of entry.

Taxis and services

Apart from buses, the latter are served by either service or taxis. 'Service' is a lot cheaper than taxis however, to avoid misunderstanding, agreement over the pricing needs to be made before setting off.

Note: Meters are NOT used in Lebanon. Prices for Taxis must be negotiated before entering the vehicle.

Service-taxis are probably the most popular means of transportation in Lebanon and recognizable by their red plate. You can take a service or taxi just by hailing in the street. Watch out, if there are no passengers, specify if you would like it as a “taxi” (private cab) or as a “service” (shared cab).

Types of taxis in Lebanon

• Service-taxis

Main article: '''share''' taxi

One has to specify one's destination and enter the taxi only if one's destination corresponds to the itinerary of the Service-taxi. The driver stops to pick up additional passengers anywhere on the streets and drop them off generally in main squares and main streets. It remains advantageous with very low fares.

Service-Taxi Taxi

• Local
  • LBP 2000 ($1.32) per person or LBP 4000 ($2.64) per person depending on how close/far the destination is. All prices within Beirut should not exceed LBP 4000 per person (Maximum of LBP 5000 for Beirut outskirts). (Note: If the driver says 'Servicene', he means double the 'Service' price, i.e. LBP 4000 per person).
• Long Distance
  • LBP 5.000 ($3.50) LP 30.000 ($20)

• Traditional Taxis

The driver must not pick up additional passengers. Most of these taxis are not equipped with meters, so negotiate the fare before embarking. The estimation of the fare is therefore often an approximate.

• On-call taxis

Pick up people who have pre-booked by phone. They don’t respond to hails in the street. They don’t have a meter so passengers should ask the operator the price when they are booking the taxi, and double check with the driver at the end of the journey.

Trains

Main article: Rail transport in Lebanon

The Lebanese rail system is not currently in use, with services having ceased due to the country's political difficulties.

Port infrastructure

Airport

The Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut

The main national airport is the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport and is located in the southern suburbs. The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report ranked the country 51st in terms of air transport infrastructure.}

Other

An aerial tramway (Téléphérique) operates in the Jounieh area and the Beirut Tramway was decommissioned in 1968.

See also

• Rail transport in Lebanon

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons