Affordable Ride Minibus Tours & Services Bermuda
UPDATE: NO LONGER IN OPERATION
These minibus tours and services are owned and run by Mike (Michal Tucker), an enterprising Bermudian with thorough knowledge of the island. While he personally tries to guide most tours, he also has a few selected drivers who he has trained himself.
Tours take place in a comfortable air-conditioned minibus accommodating up to 12 persons. While Mike offers several group tours, transportation and airport transfers on per person rates, his minibus can be booked in private for personalized tours and transportation as well.
Here are some of the main services and tours offered by AffordableRide Minibus (all tours and services should be booked in advance by contacting them. Contact info is given at the bottom).
5-Hour full island Tour
This is a set island group tour which operates on a per person rate. Groups and couples are welcome. It leaves twice daily - 9am and 2:30pm. It operates from the dockyard and is therefore very convenient for the cruise passengers. The tours mostly takes place along the South Road (for beaches) and Middle Road (for several other attractions). All through the tour you will hear and learn about the island's history, the main landmarks and their background, people and culture, housing and architecture and lot more. Here are the key attractions covered in this tour:
Goes through the lovely Somerset Village to Heydon Park and Chapel which is the smallest church in Bermuda in a beautiful parkland setting.
Next destination is Fort Scaur, a British fort built in 1870 to protect the Royal Naval Dockyard from the American and Spanish attacks.
You will then visit and go over Somerset Bridge which is the smallest draw bridge in the world.
You will then drive along South Road by the beautiful South Shore and sea some of the loveliest pink beaches like the Horseshoe Bay Beach, Church Bay Beach, Jobsons Cove, Warwick Long Bay and few others.
The tour then heads for Tuckers Town, this is the place for the rich and famous.
You will then pass by Crystal Caves in Hamilton Parish and head towards St George, which is the historical town of Bermuda and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will spend some time here visiting and learning about some historical sites and monuments like the St Peters Church, Town Hall, Old State Building etc. Note that entry to Crystal Caves is not covered in this tour.
On your way back, you will pass by Shelly Bay Beach, Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo by taking a local route and finally reach Hamilton City. Note that Entry to Aquarium is not covered in this tour.
From Hamilton City, if you want you can take a Ferry ride back to Dockyard. Otherwise continue through local routes and learn more about the island and its story. You will pass by Hollywood celebrity Michael Douglas’ home.
There are several photo stops along the way. In Hamilton area, the tour stops at a restaurant that offers discounts, lunch specials etc where you can enjoy local or western food and drinks (note that cost of food and drinks is not included in the tour cost).
Finally the minibus will reach you back to dockyard.
Tour costs $60 per person ($30 for children below 12). Does not include any entry fees or ferry fare.
3-hour Island Tour
A shorter version of the above island tour is also offered. $35 per person.
Beach / Eco Tour
Mike claims that in this day long tour, he can cover 12 of the top beaches in Bermuda for swim and snorkel while visiting all the sites of 5-hour island tour. Light lunch is provided and also complimentary island cocktail like Rum Swizzle or Dar n' Stormy. There is an on-board cooler as well. $100 per person. Finally if you so want, at night he can take you to a popular local bar at no extra charge while you get special rates for the drinks.
4-Hour Shopping Tour
This is another group tour (on per person rate) meant for the shoppers. The tour leaves at 10am from the dockyard. It heads for Hamilton while showing you the great south shore beaches and several other attractions along the way. In Hamilton, they will stop at an allocated place, let you know all about the best shopping places and stores, great restaurants for lunch, tourist attractions near about and many other information.
You will have two hours to complete your shopping and lunch and come back to the minibus. In case you want more time in shopping, you can always return by a direct ferry (takes 20 minutes to dockyard). The tour does not include any entry fee or ferry fare. Contact Michal for rate (contact info given below).
Night Out in Hamilton
This is meant for those who like to enjoy an evening (perhaps a night) in Hamilton, the capital city of Bermuda which is the hub of Nightlife (bars, pubs, nightclubs) and Dining. This is essentially a transportation service for the cruise passengers (and also those staying at hotels). There is no bus or ferry service in the island late at night. Taxis are expensive, so this minibus transportation service operating on per person rate can be a great option for if you plan to spend an evening in Hamilton till late hours. They will bring you to Hamilton City at 9pm, pick you up at 1am and drop you back to your cruise ship or hotel. Contact Michal for rate (contact info given below).
Bermuda Beach Shuttles
X Discontinued from 2014
This is one of the most popular services of the company offering round trip services from the dockyard (cruise port) to the south shore beaches. This minibus services makes four round trips to several south shore beaches including West Whale Bay, Church Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Jobsons Cove, Warwick Long Bay etc. The shuttle service works on a per person rate for round trips. It substitutes for the public buses and helps avoid long queues at the bus stops. The first minibus starts from dockyard at 9am and then at regular intervals of 1.15 hours (4 trips).
The return trips start at 1:30pm at the same interval. Round trip fare from dockyard to Whale bay, Horseshoe Bay, Jobson's Cove and Warwick Long Bay is $15 per person. For Elbow Beach the rate is $20 per person (only one round trip, starts at 9am and returns at 1pm). Rates for Children under 12 are half and infants are free. You should book a seat in advance by contacting them.
Contact Info
Write to Michal Tucker or call him directly to book a tour/shuttle service. He takes payment through bank transfers.
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 By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj, a seasoned travel writer and Bermuda destination expert, has extensive global travel experience. This website reflects his profound insights, garnered over nearly two decades of dedicated findings and research on the island. Raj has assisted countless Bermuda-bound visitors by providing direct, personalized responses to their queries and imparting his wealth of knowledge through this platform. This site serves as an indispensable guide for those seeking informed and reliable insights into Bermuda's treasures.
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Visitors' Reviews and Comments
Teresa Michelle Lewis (November 2015)
Prior to arriving in Bermuda I contacted Michael Tucker in regard to scheduling a private tour for our group of special needs. He was very punctual and addressed our special needs. Upon our meeting at the dock we had two additional people and he accommodated them also. He introduced us to (Val) our tour guide for the day. He was very pleasant and informative. He didn't just drive and sit. He actually pushed wheelchairs for our group and even found a place for batteries and had cards when we needed them. Our tour turned into a 8 hour tour due to the fact that he accommodated OUR needs and we ended up in rush hour traffic. His kindness to us was very much appreciated. We saw Val at the dock the next morning and he addressed us all by name (and hugs). He went as far as asking us if we thought he "milked" our tour and would refund us. We all agreed "No!" Mike; Thank you for your kindness and consideration and giving us such a great guide. Val, You are a special person. We loved you! - Michelle, Charlene, Loretta, Dee, Dottie, Maggie, Holly, Karen, and Patty.
Michal Tucker (owner / operator of Affordable-Ride) April 2015
We are at fault for the bad service this gentleman received (Ref. Review by Robert Charest below, June 2014). Our side of the story is, we are a small relaxed company, beaches and island tours, at times we use vendors and as in this case was totally let down by the vendor who collected from us and did not deliver the services, our name of course was tarnished for this and have since which stopped taking deposits and reduced our vendor list to prevent this from happening again. The client was right, he did receive poor service and we were at fault for the booking made with us. We did try and correct the problem with the gentleman and thought it was ! The number of good reviews that have been sent in and not posted out weigh the one bad review.
David Savage (February 2015)
I was on vacation in Bermuda and found Michael Tucker's Affordable Ride services punctual, very helpful and informative. We ended up hiring his transport service the entire four days we were on the island and we're glad we did. Michael even took us to a local grocery store and waited for us while we stocked up on supplies. Great service.
Robert Charest (June 2014)
Affordable Rides operated by Michal Tucker was the most unprofessional person to deal with on June 15, 2014. Was supposed to get round trip transportation from dockyard he never showed up, Bermuda taxi came to our aid. We see him in passing stopped him, never apologized. So we took phone number off his van and when we called to get picked up after our day was finished the phone number on his van is not active so we were stranded a second time. We never heard from Michal Tucker again. Awful business practice.
PS. I paid in advance for 7 people round trip from dockyard to Horseshoe bay beach. One other thing, I booked with him weeks in advance, received confirmation email from him and pre paid.
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