Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# airport transport Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Samoa
frisbee 07:57 UTC 05 Jun 2014 | # The below is a pasting from Apia airport's website. Does anyone know when the specialised airport bus stops running, and when the standard public bus stops running? Thanks. Public transportation to and from Faleolo Airport The specialised airport bus serves major hotels in Apia and costs WS$12 each way. Tickets are available from the government tourist office booth in the arrivals area. For further information call +685.23014. Standard public buses run regularly to Apia from the main road outside the airport, a short walk from the terminal. The fare is WS$5. |
wksamoa 10:13 UTC 05 Jun 2014 | Even though I live in Samoa I never knew about that website and apparently the Airport Authority has forgotten about it too for a long time. If it was really them to implement it in the first place. It was certainly not done by people who know about Samoa. A lot of content is linked to from other websites and most is either incomplete or wrong in the first place or completely outdated by now. Really looks like one of those websites with information assembled from who knows where (maybe even Lonely Planet) by somebody who has never been at the place. Because no, its not only Air New Zealand servicing the airport and an author at the Samoa Airport Authority would know that, for sure. And no, Samoa never has or had 215,000 population. Currency rates are at 2011/2012 status or even older. The Euro is 3.00 Tala (not 3.42) now and the US-Dollar is 2.28 Tala (not 2.48). The flight information is a link to http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByAirport.do?airportCode=APW&airportQueryType=0. So at least that information is correct and up to date. Ground transport. There usually is an airport bus, at least when you arrive from Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Nadi or Honolulu (not from Pago-Pago though). But I doubt very much that you can get a ticket at the Tourist Office booth. You can ask them to point you at the driver though, who will wait for passengers at the arrival zone, holding up a sign. The fare is WS$20, as far as I know, maybe WS$25 by now (definitely not WS$12). Taxis charge at least WS$50 (arrange before departure). Standard public buses to Apia run between 5am and 4pm only! No service at all in the evening or at night. When leaving the airport stay at the left side of the road and signal the bus driver that you want to be picked by stretching out your hand, palm down, and wave downwards. If the bus is not completely packed with people from the Savaii ferry already he might stop. WS$5 for the fare might still be right but they have changed recently. Might be WS$7 now. Overall - forget about that website. | 1
budgetkiwi 09:12 UTC 08 Jun 2014 | WKSamoa is right, I have been travelling to Samoa often in the last 20 years and I never heard about an airport bus. The choices are the shuttle- who last year charged 25 tala per person ( for non locals anyway) if he has other customers- but beware he sometimes tries to say it is 60 (as a taxi),when you go to get out... even when he has others to share the ride , so agree on the price before you get in. The bus is a few minutes walk out of the airport property up onto the main rd, - to head to town you will catch the bus on the left side of the road, it will have come from the ferry and is often full and wont stop if there is no room - especially if you have a large bag. A taxi from the airport very seldom agrees to less than 65 tala ( for tourists) going from the airport to town- but you can often find someone in town will take you out to the airport for 50 tala... The above prices are from last August and there has been a price increase but as most drivers were charging more than the govt transport prices i doubt they will have gone up too much. The bus fares are adhered to so they may have gone up from 5 tala but prob not much. If you check samoashipping website - or the budgetaccommodationsamoa website you should be able to figure what time the ferry arrives ( and so what time the bus will go past) the small ferry takes 1.5 hours from Salelologa and large ferry 1 hour and the airport is about 5 mins drive from the wharf for example if the large ferry leaves Salelologa at 8 am it will arrive at 9 am in Malifanua and the bus will come by the airport by about 9.15 or so... hope thats helpful | 2
frisbee 22:43 UTC 08 Jun 2014 | Thanks both. Uuumm, I might just try hitching instead, unless there some sort of accommodation really close to the airport. Any ideas?? | 3
frisbee 15:24 UTC 15 Jul 2014 | Just a follow up: as things stand right now, in July 2014, there is a 4 p.m. ferry departure daily from Mulifauna on Savai'i island to Salelologa on Upolu island (where the airports and Apia are). That ferry arrives in Salelologa at about 5.10 p.m. There are various forms of transport that meet the ferries, and that includes about 3 public buses. Those buses go to Apia and cost 4 Tala. Those buses pass right by the airport. Sometimes, they drop some people off at the airport, sometimes they don't. In theory, those buses will pass the airport anywhere between 5.20 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. It depends how long they took loading up at the ferry terminal. From the ferry terminal, it's about a 10 minute drive to the airport. What that means is that if you're in the airport terminal, it'll take you about 5 minutes or so to walk out to the main road (it's a small airport). When you see a bus and stick out your hand, it may or may not stop. It depends how full it is, and whether or not they can squeeze your luggage onto the bus. So in theory, you could get a bus to Apia at 5.30 or so, depending on how lucky you are. But hell, it's Samoa, if all else fails, just try hitching. I doubt you'll have to wait more than 2 vehicles anyway. | 4