Transport in Vanuatu

Vanuatu extends about 1,000 kilometres across 83 islands. Its transport system combines private vehicles, taxis, service buses, tour providers, inter-island ships and aircraft. Vanuatu has no railway network or national railway authority. There is also no nationally documented bicycle network or countrywide pedestrian network, although people commonly walk or cycle for local journeys. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, known as MIPU, oversees major transport infrastructure. Its Public Works Department manages nearly 3,000 kilometres of national roads, bridges, airports and parts of the port infrastructure. A road inventory recorded 2,048 kilometres, with a corrected national estimate of about 3,005 kilometres; the inventory classified 261 kilometres as sealed, 764 kilometres as gravel and 1,023 kilometres as earth. Many rural connections remain unsealed and may require a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Cyclones, earthquakes, flooding and heavy rain affect road access and transport planning. The Efate Ring Road, Santo East Coast Road rehabilitation and the Vanuatu Climate Resilient Transport Project address road, bridge, drainage and safety needs. Public land transport is practically established but fragmented. Taxis, service buses, tour providers and other common transport services carry passengers for payment, especially on Efate and Santo. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and its Public Land Transport Authority, or PLTA, regulate this area under the Public Land Transport Authority Act No. 4 of 2015. Provincial associations and permit officers also have responsibilities. There is no proven national network with uniform lines, timetables or tickets. Efate's traditional merry-go-round bus system is being considered for more orderly connections and distance-based fares. The 2025/26 fare framework was still under approval and consultation at the research date: an existing Efate fare of VT150 had a proposed, but not finally confirmed, increase to VT200. Taxi-meter and QR-based bus-fare systems were still being implemented. A May 2026 fuel-support measure gave taxi owners VT25,000 and bus or common-transport owners VT50,000 each; these were temporary payments, not standard passenger fares. A public land transport provider generally needs a General Driver's Permit and a Vehicle Permit. The driver permit is limited to Vanuatu citizens. A vehicle permit must be obtained before use and depends on a roadworthiness certificate, adequate equipment, required standards, third-party insurance and, for taxis, a certified taxi meter. Vehicle permits normally run until 31 December; late renewal costs VT5,000, and using a vehicle without the required permit can attract a maximum penalty of VT100,000. A Tourism Driver Permit requires a valid driving licence, medical certificate issued within six months, police clearance, birth certificate, Vanuatu National Provident Fund card, membership in a provincial public land transport association and a VT2,000 fee. It is valid for one year, with a VT5,000 late fee, and also involves a police test, at least one year of driving experience, age limits of 21 to 65 years and exclusions related to relevant convictions or drink-driving. Inter-island shipping is central to passenger and cargo movement between outer islands, markets, health services and schools. The Department of Ports and Marine implements the shipping and ports laws. The Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority handles flag-state and port-state safety, navigation, seafarer training and certification, emergency response and the marine environment. Vanuatu has seven major international ports of entry, including Port Vila, Luganville and outer-island wharves. The Vanuatu Inter-Island Shipping Support Scheme supports wharf and jetty improvements and subsidized sailings where commercial service is not viable. Subsidized services depend on vessel, sailing frequency and safety conditions. For example, a Tafea service from October 2024 provided one subsidized monthly sailing connecting Port Narvin, Ipota, Aniwa, Port Resolution, Mission Bay, Herald Bay, Anelcauhat and Port Patrick. Passenger fares and departure times vary by connection, provider and weather, and no uniform national passenger tariff or timetable has been established. Port dues depend on gross tonnage, a 24-hour stay and the purpose of the port call. Domestic aviation provides the fastest links across the archipelago. Airports Vanuatu Limited manages the three international airports at Port Vila, Santo and Tanna, while the Public Works Department manages 25 domestic airports. Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu, or CAAV, regulates aviation under the Civil Aviation Act and Civil Aviation Rules. Airport categories range from certified international and domestic airports to uncertified scheduled or unscheduled commercial airports and private-use airfields. CAAV lists Air Vanuatu, Unity Airlines, Belair Airways and Air Taxi as local companies. Air Vanuatu's domestic schedule available from 9 March 2026 was subject to change. Domestic passengers should generally check in two hours before departure; check-in closes 45 minutes before departure. A Departure Tax Receipt and, when travelling between provinces, the applicable provincial tax may be required. Published one-way prices included VT17,600 from Port Vila to Tanna, VT19,320 from Port Vila to Santo and VT15,070 from Port Vila to Norsup, but fares are dynamic and can change. Air Vanuatu's 2024 liquidation and service interruption showed the capacity and resilience risks of relying on limited aviation capacity. Vehicle registration is handled through Customs and Inland Revenue. Annual road tax follows the roadworthiness certificate and registration book. A driving licence requires a Learner's Licence, a Vanuatu Police Force driving test and a Certificate of Ability to Drive. A standard driver's licence costs VT5,000 and is valid for three years; renewal costs VT5,000 and requires a medical certificate issued within six months. Learner's Licences cost VT1,500 for each category and last one year. The minimum ages are 14 for motorcycles below 50cc, 16 for motorcycles from 50cc to 125cc, 18 for motorcycles above 125cc and other motor vehicles, and 21 for heavy vehicles above three tonnes and common vehicles. Heavy-vehicle applicants also need three years of driving experience. An international driving licence is accepted for up to three months, after which a Vanuatu licence is required. Public transport vehicles also need a Vehicle Permit, business licence and valid supporting documents. Vehicles drive on the left and overtake on the left. At roundabouts, drivers keep to the left of the traffic island. Police information identifies 40 km/h as the urban speed limit and 20 km/h or less at roadworks. Drivers may not use a mobile phone while driving, and seat belts apply to rear passengers as well as front passengers. Alcohol- and drug-impaired driving is prohibited. Drivers must signal before turning, overtaking or moving off and must stop when instructed by police. After a crash, the driver must stop immediately. A crash involving injury must be reported to police within 24 hours; property-damage crashes must be reported within five days in Efate, Espiritu Santo, Malekula and Tanna, and within 15 days on other islands. The Vanuatu Police Force test includes oral, written and practical elements. The current test uses a manual vehicle; an automatic vehicle is accepted only with ministerial authorisation. In Bislama, a bus stop may be described as a place blong stopem wan bus. Walking and cycling remain useful for short local journeys, but narrow roads, unsealed surfaces, rain, children near roads and mixed traffic create safety risks. Public Works Department road design considers vehicle and pedestrian safety, access and drainage, but no national walking or cycling infrastructure, tariff or usage system has been evidenced. Transport also has a major environmental role. Vanuatu imports more than 56 million litres of fuel each year, and diesel accounts for about 63 percent of those imports. Transport produces about 52.7 percent of national net emissions. Within transport emissions, roads account for 78.6 percent, domestic aviation for 9.6 percent and domestic waterborne navigation for 11.7 percent. An older policy dataset attributed 87 percent of transport-related carbon dioxide emissions to roads; that figure is not directly comparable because the dataset and boundaries differ. Vehicle-emission and fuel standards were still being developed, and the vehicle-emissions testing procedures were updated on 10 August 2026. Vanuatu's 2035 climate contribution sets targets of a 10 percent efficiency improvement in land and marine transport, electric buses making up 10 percent of public buses, electric cars making up 10 percent of the government fleet and 1,000 electric two- and three-wheelers. These are targets, not evidence that the targets have already been achieved.