You can hire a private driver in Jamaica for a one-way airport transfer, an intercity trip, several stops, or a full day. Published examples range from US$17 one way for 1 to 3 travellers on selected routes from Sangster International Airport to US$200 per day for 2 to 4 people, with services lasting about 3 to 12 hours depending on the package. The price may be per vehicle, per person, per trip or per day, so define the trip and inclusions before you pay.
A private driver usually works through a pre-arranged contract carriage. You hire the vehicle as a whole for an agreed rate, rather than sharing a public route with separate passengers. This suits airport pickups, family trips, business events, weddings, funerals, several-stop outings and private transport between places such as Kingston, Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios.
Choose the service that matches your trip
Start with the job you need the vehicle to do.
A private airport transfer takes you from an airport to a hotel, villa, home or event address. It can be suitable when you want the vehicle arranged for your party rather than finding transport after landing. TAG Jamaica publishes selected one-way rates from Sangster International Airport, including US$17 for 1 to 3 travellers to listed Montego Bay hotels, US$23 for 4 to 6 travellers, and US$4 per person for groups of 7 or more on one listed route. These are one-way prices, and the route and vehicle details affect the fare. The rates were published in October 2026. If you land hungry, here is where to eat near Montego Bay Airport (Sangster International).
For a trip from Sangster International Airport to a hotel in Montego Bay, ask the airport transport desk or the operator for the full fare to your exact address before leaving the terminal. If you are travelling onward to Negril, Ocho Rios or another parish, give the complete destination and luggage count when requesting the quote. You can compare the practical differences between a private transfer and a taxi in Airport Transfer or Taxi in Jamaica: Which One Fits Your Trip.
A single intercity trip is arranged around one pickup and one destination. You might use this for Kingston to Mandeville, Montego Bay to Negril, or Kingston to Port Antonio. A private vehicle gives your group its own schedule, but the quote still needs to say whether it is one way or return, how long the driver will wait, and whether tolls, fuel or parking are included.
A driver for several stops is priced around the time and route agreed with the operator. Give the pickup point, every stop, the planned return point and the time you need the vehicle. A quotation for a 10-hour day is not the same service as a seven-hour private tour or a three-hour chauffeur package.
A full-day booking may suit a family visiting several attractions, a group attending an event or a local resident arranging transport for a function. Published services use different time limits. TAG Jamaica states 10 hours per day. Negril One Stop publishes a seven-hour full-day private tour. Aurum Transfers lists packages for 3, 6, 9 and 12 hours.
For scheduled public transport, a coach or route taxi may be more suitable for a regular commute or a single seat between towns. See How to Get Around Jamaica Without a Car for the differences between private transport, buses, route taxis and other options.
Published private-driver prices
There is no single island-wide private-driver tariff. The examples below are separate services with different vehicles, durations, passenger limits and inclusions. For what to give the driver at the end of the day, see tipping taxi and transfer drivers in Jamaica.
Ask TAG Jamaica whether its minimum booking is three or four days before you pay. Its page also describes a possible extra-fuel charge beyond the 125-kilometre radius. Meals, attraction admission and gratuity need to be stated in the quote.
Negril One Stop’s US$240 price is for 1 to 2 people for seven hours, with each additional person priced at US$20. Gas and gratuity are excluded. This is a Negril private-tour price, not a standard fare for every private driver in Jamaica.
Aurum Transfers uses fixed time packages rather than a simple hourly price. The listed inclusions are the vehicle, driver, Starlink WiFi, water, refreshments and a flexible itinerary. Ask what happens if your stops take longer than the selected package.
Bona Fide Jamaica publishes private van-and-driver packages with a four-day minimum. The 12-seater, 15-seater and 25-seater prices are separate vehicle packages, and the published passenger limits account for luggage. Gratuity is excluded.
What to put in the written quote
Send the operator the information needed to price the actual trip:
- Pickup date and time.
- Exact pickup address, such as the hotel, villa, home, airport terminal or event venue.
- Destination, return point and every planned stop.
- Number of passengers.
- Number, size and type of luggage.
- Flight number if the pickup is at Sangster International Airport or Norman Manley International Airport.
- Vehicle type you need, such as a car, van, bus or wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
- Children’s ages and the number and type of child seats.
- Wheelchair dimensions, weight and access requirements.
- Whether the booking is one way, return, hourly or for a full day.
The written price should state the currency and whether it is per vehicle, per person, per trip, per hour or per day. It should also state the number of driving hours, the waiting time at airports and stops, and the additional-hour rate.
Ask the operator to put these costs in the quote:
- Fuel.
- Highway tolls.
- Parking.
- Attraction admission.
- Meals.
- Gratuity.
- Airport waiting.
- Late-flight waiting.
- Event overtime.
- Child seats.
- A second vehicle if luggage exceeds the first vehicle’s capacity.
Give the operator your flight number and ask where the driver will meet you inside or outside the airport. Request the driver’s name, phone number, vehicle description and registration or licence-plate details. Keep the written confirmation and receipt with your travel information.
The terms vary by operator. TAG Jamaica publishes daily hours, passenger bands, a distance limit, payment timing and a possible extra-fuel charge. Negril One Stop publishes the seven-hour duration, passenger pricing and exclusions for gas and gratuity. Villa Transportation publishes vehicle capacities, luggage limits, selected airport-transfer prices and child-seat pricing.
Licensing and contract carriage
Jamaica’s Transport Authority defines contract carriage as passenger transport for hire or reward under an expressed or implied contract for the vehicle as a whole and an agreed rate. A contract-carriage vehicle must not stand or solicit passengers in public places unless specifically permitted.
The Transport Authority licenses public passenger vehicles, including contract carriages. A paid passenger vehicle needs the applicable road licence, and drivers operating public passenger vehicles need the required driver credentials and Transport Authority badge. The Authority also identifies red public passenger vehicle plates and current Transport Authority markings as part of public passenger transport requirements.
Tourism operators also require a Jamaica Tourist Board contract-carriage licence administered through TPDCo. TPDCo’s published requirements include:
- Current contract-carriage road licence.
- Vehicle fitness certificate.
- Insurance.
- Valid driver licence.
- Driver training.
- Jamaica Tourist Board vehicle decal.
- Jamaica Tourist Board driver identification.
JUTA, JCAL and MAXI are industry organisations or operator groupings. Membership in one of them does not replace checking the current Transport Authority road licence and tourism licence.
Ask the operator for the current Jamaica Tourist Board or TPDCo contract-carriage licence details, the vehicle’s Transport Authority contract-carriage road licence, the JTB decal, the driver’s JTB identification and Transport Authority driver badge, and the vehicle registration, fitness and insurance confirmation where appropriate.
TPDCo says licensing information can be obtained from its Licence Processing Unit and through the Jamaica Tourist Board website at visitjamaica.com. The Transport Authority’s licence information is available through its Licence Types page.
Families, groups and mobility needs
Families should give the operator each child’s age and request the exact seat type before paying. Published terms differ:
- Villa Transportation lists child or infant seats at US$10 per seat per day.
- Best Jamaica Travels says infant, child and booster seats are available at no extra charge on its private airport transfers when requested with the children’s ages.
- Jamaica Quest Tours says child seats may be available at an additional cost, limits availability to a maximum of two infant seats and says seats depend on availability.
Ask for the seat type, number, age or weight range, fitting arrangement and price in writing.
Groups need the passenger capacity with luggage, not only the number of seats. Villa Transportation states that a 12-seater carrying more than 8 passengers plus luggage, a 15-seater carrying more than 10 passengers plus luggage or a 25-seater carrying more than 18 passengers plus luggage may need a second vehicle for luggage and an additional transfer fee. Bona Fide Jamaica publishes separate passenger limits with luggage for its 12-, 15- and 25-seat vehicles.
For a family or group leaving Sangster International Airport for Montego Bay, ask the operator to price the exact luggage count as well as the passenger count. If your route begins in St. James parish and ends in Westmoreland parish, give both locations rather than describing the trip only as “west coast.”
Travellers who use wheelchairs should give the operator:
- Manual or powered wheelchair.
- Foldable or non-foldable chair.
- Chair dimensions and weight.
- Whether the traveller transfers into a vehicle seat.
- Whether the wheelchair must remain occupied during travel.
- Ramp or hydraulic lift requirement.
- Number of wheelchair users.
- Passenger and luggage count.
Jamaica Wheelchair Taxi publishes accessible vans and buses with different capacities for seated passengers, wheelchair passengers and luggage. Villa Transportation describes a wheelchair-accessible van with a portable ramp and space for one wheelchair passenger plus five other passengers. Ask for the exact accessible vehicle, restraint system, access method and total price.
Montego Bay day bookings
You can arrange a driver for a day in Montego Bay. As of October 2026, TAG Jamaica publishes US$200 per day for 2 to 4 people and US$250 per day for 5 to 8 people, covering 10 hours. Travel within a 125-kilometre radius of pickup is included, and extra fuel may apply beyond that distance. Ask whether the minimum booking is three or four days before you pay.
Aurum Transfers publishes, as of October 2026, US$450 for 3 hours, US$800 for 6 hours, US$999 for 9 hours and US$1,500 for 12 hours. Its listed package includes the vehicle, driver, Starlink WiFi, water and refreshments.
For a single airport trip, TAG Jamaica publishes separate one-way transfer prices from Sangster International Airport. A one-way transfer is a different service from a day booking, so request the price using the exact destination, vehicle and passenger count.
If your day includes lunch in the city, see where to eat in Montego Bay. Montego Bay residents and visitors arranging business events, parties, weddings or funerals can use the same process. State the venue, arrival time, departure time, number of passengers, luggage or equipment, stops and return arrangements. If the vehicle will serve more than one group during the event, ask for the waiting and overtime terms.
For local trips around the city, see Getting Around Montego Bay, Jamaica: Taxis, Buses and Route Taxis. For a transfer from the airport to a hotel, the terminal pickup point and destination address matter more than a general Montego Bay day rate.
Common questions
How much does a personal driver in Jamaica cost?
Published examples include US$200 per day for 2 to 4 people or US$250 per day for 5 to 8 people with TAG Jamaica, and US$240 for 1 to 2 people for seven hours with Negril One Stop. Aurum Transfers lists fixed packages from US$450 for 3 hours to US$1,500 for 12 hours, while Bona Fide Jamaica lists four-day van-and-driver packages from US$600. Each price has its own vehicle, duration and exclusions.
How do I hire a driver in Jamaica?
Send the operator your date, exact pickup, destination, stops, passenger count, luggage details, flight number and vehicle needs. Request a written total in a named currency, with the unit, hours, waiting, fuel, tolls, parking, child seats, cancellation terms, meeting point, driver details and vehicle registration.
Do private drivers in Jamaica need a licence?
Yes. A paid passenger vehicle needs the applicable Transport Authority road licence, and tourism transport requires the relevant Jamaica Tourist Board contract-carriage licence administered through TPDCo. Ask for the vehicle and driver documents, including the road licence, JTB decal, driver badge and current tourism-licence details.
Can I hire a driver for a day in Montego Bay?
Yes. TAG Jamaica publishes a 10-hour private-driver service at US$200 per day for 2 to 4 people or US$250 per day for 5 to 8 people, with travel within 125 kilometres included. Aurum Transfers publishes fixed 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-hour chauffeur packages, so compare the hours and inclusions with the itinerary you want.
What should a family ask about child seats and luggage?
Give each child’s age and ask for the exact seat type, number, age or weight range, fitting arrangement and price. Give the number and size of all bags, then ask whether the quoted vehicle can carry the passengers and luggage together or whether a second vehicle is needed.
To find transport operators where you are travelling, start from the parish directory.