Transport in Lebanon

Intercity Transportation

Buses

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 LBP1000 ($0.6). 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.

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 need to be made before setting off.

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

Types of taxis in Lebanon

• Service-taxis

You have to specify your destination and enter the taxi only if your destination correspond to the itinerary of the Service-taxi. The driver stops to pick up additional passengers anywhere on the streets and drop you in generally in main squares and main streets. It remains advantageous with very low fares.

Ride To Service-Taxi Taxi

• Local
  • LBP1.750 ($1.16) LP3.500 ($2.33)
• Long Distance
  • LBP5.000 ($3.50) LP30.000 ($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 agree a price before starting a journey.

Trains

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.

Passenger use, total cargo, and aircraft movemens have steadily increased since 1990.[2]

Statistics for Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport

Year	Total Passengers	Total Cargo (metric tons)	Total Aircraft Movements
1990	637,944		8,048
1991	837,144	44,064	10,822
1992	1,092,645	48,859	14,963
1993	1,343,289	45,539	16,581
1994	1,489,429	54,007	19,045
1995	1,672,657	49,742	20,478
1996	1,715,434	46,505	21,004
1997	1,715,434	46,505	21,004
1998	2,006,956	55,037	23,051
1999	2,222,344	54,300	25,010
2000	2,343,387	52,439	29,707
2001	2,444,851	62,789	30,627
2002	2,606,861	65,913	32,952
2003	2,840,400	65,674	34,468
2004	3,334,710	62,081	39,023
2008	3,623,000

See Also

http://www.beirutairport.gov.lb/home.html