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, 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.
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 Greece or by road from Damascus, etc. The Port of Tripoli is also a port of entry and ferries usually come from Taşucu, Turkey.
Taxis and services
In order to get from one place to another, people can either use a service or taxis. A "service" is a lot cheaper than a "taxi" as the passenger would be sharing the cab in the first place unlike the latter, where he would have the cab to himself. Cabs can be recognized by their red license plates. The driver would pull aside for if the person hails while seeing him. He will then ask for his destination and then will decide whether he will drive the passenger with the regular fare, an extra, or not at all.
Types of taxis in Lebanon
Service-taxis
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 per person or LBP 4000 per person depending on how close/far the destination is. Prices within Beirut could vary depending on traffic and distance but overall should not exceed LBP 4000 per person. However, the driver could ask for more if the passenger intends to go to an area with high traffic like Hamra Street.
Long Distance
*Starts from LBP 5.000 and goes up from there. For example, from Beirut to Sidon, the drivers usually charge in between LBP 50,000 and LBP 75,000.
Traditional Taxis
The driver must not pick up additional passengers. Most of these taxis are not equipped with meters, so it is important to negotiate the fare before embarking. The regular taxi fare starts at LBP 10,000.
Online services
Uber and Careem are both available in Lebanon as online services which are ordered online through the app and can be paid either online or by cash. These alternatives are sometimes cheaper than traditional taxis in Lebanon.
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.
Carpooling
Carpolo App is an alternative mode of transportation in Lebanon. Upon downloading the app, users post their un-used seats and the app connects them with people who have matching rides. It is free for users on the public community and has private communities that can be accessed by invitation only. Carpolo uses gamification to incentivize drivers to list their empty car seats and offers incentives for carpoolers.
