Left-side driving in Tobago

[Alexander Stojanovic]

Hello there,

we are off to Tobago in 14 days time....and we are really excited about it!
However, I have some questions to all of you people who are used to right-side driving and how well it worked to switch to drive the Tobago-way...

I'm a little bit worried myself, but would like to hear from all of you who has any comments on this...( maybe I should buy a really BIG insurance!!:D)

Alexander Stojanovic

[Andreas]

Hi Alexander,

I definitely know what you mean. Even as a pedestrian I was not able to get used to the British system. I always looked to the left when crossing a street (instead of to the right), while driving in a car with friends I always had to hold back shoutings like, "NEIL -- IT'S THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!!!" and so on...
But everybody told me that Tobago is a great place to practice driving on the left, because in fact nobody drives on the left... They drive in the middle of the street.

During my 14 days in Tobago I did not rent a car - but I am a coward.
Be cautious - and try it!

Regards,
Andreas

[Dave]

Hi Andreas,

can I ask you: if you didn´t rent a car, how did you travell around in Tobago? By taxis or by buses? And is it possible without car?

Thank you, Dave

[Andreas]

Hi Dave,

Yes, it is possible to do without a car, but I strongly recommend renting one. If you decide to split your visit and just want to arrange the transfers from one guesthouse to another, buses and taxis will be fine.
The buses are very cheap (e.g. Scarborough - Charlotteville costs 8 TT$), but often crowded, and you have to keep in mind that there are no timetables except for the buses leaving Scarborough: So you just go to the "main street", sit down and wait.
Taxis, of course, are comfortable, but more expensive (Scarborough - Charlotteville costs about 100 TT$).

But for day trips, island tours and so on there is no alternative to renting a car. There are so many beautiful places in Tobago you should visit - and that is quite impossible with the public transport system.

Regards,
Andreas

[Ulrich]

Hi Alexander,

after driving about 30 years on the right side only this year in May I visited Tobago - worrying also about driving on the left.

And.... no problem. And also I didn´t made the experience that the Tobagonians drive in the middle (well, a few did )

But if you don´t drive in an aggressive way and concentrate a bit then ther really should be no problem. I recommend to use an automatic car - so you can forget about shifting the lever with your left hand.

Additional now is no high season. So there will ne not so much traffic.

Enjoy your stay and I wish you not to catch too much rain.

Best regards and happy cruising by car

Ulrich