Barranquilla - Transport

Transport

Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport, was built in Barranquilla in 1919, becoming the first airport in South America. The city is served by domestic and international flights.

Pumarejo Bridge over the Magdalena River is one of the most prominent civil engineering works in the city, and the longest in Colombia at just over 1.5 km. The traffic in the city and its metropolitan area is governed from 2009 by the Ministry for Mobility.

In 2001, the district administration started developing TransMetro metropolitan mass transit system. This transport system uses articulated buses traveling on exclusive lanes and stations where passengers board on.

In 2010, the taxis operate a minimum charge of COP 4300 (USD $ 2.17) for a distance of up to 3.5 km. To cover distance races over the minimum, the fee is negotiated directly with the driver and can reach up to COP 20,000 (USD $ 11.4) depending on the distance covered. Taxi service can also be contracted by the hour, COP 15,000 (USD $ 7.58). Several private companies provide taxi service in the city, which can be ordered by telephone for safety.

In the city a network of buses and minibuses routes are where fares vary depending on model (old) and amenities like air conditioning. These prices are visible in the windshield of the vehicle and range from COP 1,300 (USD $ 0.60) and COP 1,500 (USD $ 0.75). The bus transportation is the most used by the population.

In the municipality of Soledad, south of the city, is the Metropolitan Transportation Terminal in Barranquilla, from which one can travel by land to major domestic destinations and Venezuela.

Barranquilla has a major sea and river port, third largest by cargo volume in the country. The waterborne terminal is managed, operated and marketed by the private Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Barranquilla. Traffic through the port of Barranquilla is regulated by the Captain of the Port of Barranquilla,which is responsible for the direction, coordination and control of maritime activities such as arrivals, departures, status of ships, safety, licensing, advertisements, among others.