Renting a Scooter in Bermuda: Bermuda Transportation Guide for Visitors

Renting a scooter in Bermuda is a lot of fun, but it’s also useful to help get around the island. When visiting Bermuda, you will quickly discover that car rentals on the island are non-existent. Thankfully, you won’t need to rent a car in Bermuda as there are plenty of other quick and easy ways to get around the island. In this Bermuda transportation guide, I’ll tell you all about scooter rentals in Bermuda, public transportation in Bermuda, and all the ways you can get from point A to point B.

Why You Can’t Rent a Car in Bermuda

Only residents of Bermuda are permitted to drive cars, and citizens are limited to owning one car.  As Bermuda has a smaller land mass, there really isn’t too much room for many vehicles. Limiting the amount of cars on the road reduces the volume of traffic, particularly coming in and out of the main city of Hamilton. Many visitors aren’t used to driving on the left side of the road, plus the roads tend to be a bit narrow and winding, so it is as much a safety precaution as anything.

Renting a Scooter in Bermuda

Scooter rentals in Bermuda are the most flexible choice offering the most freedom. You can ride wherever you like, whenever you like. Renting a scooter in Bermuda is an easy process, but it’s all up to your comfort level. Many Bermudians ride scooters around, even more than cars. To rent a scooter in Bermuda, you’ll need to be 18 years old and wear a helmet when you ride it (you don’t need to have a driver’s license).

In Bermuda, they drive on the left. If you aren’t familiar with doing so, it can be a challenge. You’ll need to exercise plenty of caution when driving a scooter in Bermuda. Be prepared to allow lots of people to pass you on the road.

We rented our scooters from Smatts Cycle Livery as it was located directly next door to our hotel, the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club. Many cycle liveries will happily provide a pick up and drop off service at your hotel if you aren’t nearby (inquire in advance about this). Neither of us had any experience riding scooters. We had a quick safety lesson and a practice run. After a quick ride down the road and back, we were pretty much ready to go.

What to Know About Scooter Rentals in Bermuda

If you decide to rent Bermuda scooters, please be cautious and stay safe. It can be dangerous at times. There are many roundabouts, narrow roadways, and steep hills. I advise against renting one if there are high winds or if the roads are slippery from the rain.

Bermuda moped rentals are capped, meaning that they won’t go as fast as regular scooters. Keep in mind that other motorists will pass you on the road. Don’t worry, they’ll go around you. It will be pretty obvious that you’re a tourist!

It’s always a good idea to bring a backup map with you, just in case your cell signal stops working. At the very least, download an offline version of the Google Maps for Bermuda. You can also pick up a free paper map when renting a scooter in Bermuda (Smatts had them available for free). And lastly, be sure to fill the scooter back up with gas before you return it. Just like a car rental, there can be additional charges if you don’t.

When we rented our scooters, we drove around the city of Hamilton (including a two-lane roundabout…yikes!) and eventually made our way to Spanish Point. Justin and I only had a couple of hours with our scooter rentals in Bermuda. The weather was acting funny in the morning (it was very windy), but the weather was more favorable in the afternoon. Renting scooters in Bermuda was our final activity before departing the island later that evening. We had a blast riding all over the place, and we’d love to try it again on a return visit.

Renting an Electric Car in Bermuda

When we visited the island, Bermuda moped rentals were the only transportation choice available to tourists. However, a couple of years back, the country has allowed car rentals…well, sort of. Visitors to the island can now rent a Renault Twizy, an electric vehicle that looks like a small car but operates more like a fancy golf cart. With maximum speeds of 45km/hour, you won’t exactly fly down the streets, but it seems a little safer than scooters in Bermuda. I’d absolutely love to return to Bermuda to take an electric car out for a spin.

Taking the City Bus in Bermuda

Taking public transportation in Bermuda is very easy and there are bus routes running all over the island. This form of public transportation is safe and reliable. You can easily look up the bus schedule online. Rates are based on where you are traveling (in zones). You can purchase tokens from the bus station.

You can also buy a visitor transportation pass for one, two, three, four, or seven days (monthly passes are even available). It’s an unlimited pass for the buses and the ferries, no matter where you’re headed. Here is the official website for Bermuda transportation.

We took a bus from the Central Terminal in Hamilton (on Washington Street) to the Crystal Caves. It was very easy to figure out the bus system in Bermuda. The bus driver also alerted us when we reached our stop (we asked if he didn’t mind letting us know, and he politely obliged).

Ferries in Bermuda

Another great way to get around is by using Bermuda’s ferry service. There are four ferry routes that travel between Hamilton and several perishes in Bermuda. You can easily get to the Royal Naval Dockyard, Southampton, and St. George’s by ferry. While we never used the public ferry, we did use a free ferry service for guests of the two Fairmont hotels, which operated between both properties. This was a great option for getting to Horseshoe Bay Beach as a complimentary shuttle also ran between the hotel and the beach.

Taxis: The Easiest and Most Expensive Choice

Taxis are available to drive you anywhere you’d like. They’re also very expensive. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you! This might be a very convenient way, but it will cost you. There are a few occasions where you’ll have to take a taxi: getting to and from the airport is the main one.

With that said, our taxi drivers were always very friendly and helpful. When we were picked up at the airport, our driver gave us a great introduction to Bermuda as we drove towards our hotel. We chatted and asked the taxi drivers any random questions along the way, and they happily answered them for us. If you decide to rent a scooter or an electric car and the rental company isn’t near your hotel, you might need to have a taxi transport your luggage to your accommodation. As I mentioned previously, our hotel was next door to a scooter rental company, so this wasn’t an issue for us.

Hitchhiking: The Option We Didn’t Try

It’s actually very popular for locals to hitchhike all over Bermuda. While I am sure that some savvy travelers out there would give this a shot, Justin and I opted not to go hitchhiking in Bermuda. Maybe if we were a little more familiar with the island, we’d think about trying it…but I am personally a little too nervous to do it. Bermuda is a very safe island, so perhaps you’ll have the courage to give it a shot?

There are lots of ways to get around Bermuda without having to rely on a car. It’s even possible to walk or rent a bicycle if you aren’t going too far. Renting a scooter in Bermuda was a total blast and really added to our experience. Public transportation in Bermuda is a solid option, so take the city bus and the ferries all over the place.

Want to learn more interesting tidbits about Bermuda? Check out my article featuring the top 10 things you need to know before you visit Bermuda!

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Have you ever rented a scooter while traveling? How about using a country’s public transportation system?