Praia · Sol Atlântico Numbered city lines 2 to 18, all touching Plateau Operator source
Cape Verde public transport
How to get around Cape Verde without a car.
Ten islands, two real city bus networks, a shared-minibus culture with no timetable anywhere, and a ferry system that decides the shape of your trip. Cape Verde Bus puts the official sources for all three in one place.
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- Island by island, aluguers included Praia and Mindelo city lines plus the aluguer corridors that carry everyone else — the routes no map app has ever shown.
- Works offline Everything stored on your phone, because mountain roads on Santo Antão and Fogo have no usable signal.
- Every number has a source Each fare and crossing links back to the operator or government document that published it, with the date it was checked.
Independent app. No ticket sales or live vehicle tracking.
About the Cape Verde bus appGuide checked 6 August 2026
Cape Verde Bus
App previewNetwork orientation A directory of official sources, not a live departure board
Mindelo · Transcor SV City lines run, but the operator publishes nothing usable online Not verifiable online
CV InterIlhas · nine islands Published crossing times and a government-set fare table Operator source
Everywhere else · shared minibuses No authority publishes a timetable or a fare Shown honestly
Data shown comes from official operator publications; official sources win if anything here differs. See the source ledger.
Ferry reliability is the real planning risk
Only Mindelo–Porto Novo behaves like a dependable shuttle. Every other line is weather- and breakdown-exposed, worst between November and March, and CV InterIlhas publishes its rolling schedule only weeks ahead. Never book a same-day onward flight against a ferry arrival.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesInstituto Marítimo e PortuárioMaritime and port regulator
Aluguers have no published timetable or fare — anywhere
The shared minibuses that carry most of the country outside Praia and Mindelo are not timetabled. We checked the national government transport portal and the licensed operators: none publishes aluguer departure times or prices. Agree the fare in cash before you get in, and expect the last useful departure of the day to be earlier than you think.
Source: Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
Praia line 15 is provisionally suspended
Sol Atlântico has posted a provisional suspension of line 15 (Campus UniCV – Sucupira – Plateau). Check the operator’s notices before planning around any single line number.
Source: Sol AtlânticoProvisional suspension of line 15Praia bus lines and stops
Praia single bus fare
Sol Atlântico’s published single ticket; prepaid bundles work out at the same rate.
Sol AtlânticoTariffs, cards and passes
Mindelo to Porto Novo
The operator’s own crossing-duration table for São Vicente to Santo Antão.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
Ferry ticket cut-off
CV InterIlhas requires tickets to be bought at least an hour and a half before departure.
CV InterIlhasTicket purchase rules
Transit apps for Cape Verde
No journey planner covers these islands, and no operator feeds live data to one.
Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portalSol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stops
The journeys people actually search for
Five routes that decide a Cape Verde itinerary
These are the connections that make or break a car-free trip through the islands. Each one names what is officially published and what is not.
Barlavento · the reliable one Mindelo to Porto Novo
Ferry from São Vicente to Santo Antão
The one crossing in the country you can plan a day around. The operator’s duration table gives 40 minutes, and multiple sailings run in each direction on a normal day. Santo Antão has no airport, so this boat is the island.
- Published crossing time: 40 minutes, São Vicente to Santo Antão.
- Buy at least an hour and a half before departure — the operator states this as a rule, not a suggestion.
- Aluguers meet the boat at Porto Novo pier for Ribeira Grande, Paúl and Ponta do Sol; they leave when full, not to a clock.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesTicket purchase rulesENAPORPorts of Cabo Verde
Check CV InterIlhas schedules Santiago · aluguer From the Sucupira market area
Praia to Tarrafal without a car
There is no scheduled coach. Shared Hiace minibuses leave the Sucupira area when they fill, by either the interior road through Assomada or the coast road through Pedra Badejo and Calheta. No operator or authority publishes a departure time or a price for either routing.
- Depart when full — mornings fill fastest, and the flow reverses in the early afternoon.
- Cash escudos only. Agree the price before you sit down; drivers may quote a private charter first.
- By late afternoon the corridor thins out, and Sundays are much quieter than weekdays.
Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portalSol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stops
Redonda · island hopping The circular Redonda line
Sal to Boa Vista by ferry
The two package-holiday islands are three hours apart by sea on the circular Redonda line — but that line calls only a couple of times a week and its days move. Check the live schedule before you commit a hotel booking to it.
- Published crossing time: 3 hours 5 minutes, Sal to Boa Vista.
- Government-set fare: 1,700 CVE for nationals, 2,500 CVE for non-nationals.
- The Redonda rotation is not a daily service; treat the published calendar as the only truth.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Open the official passenger tariff Fogo · volcano Up into the crater
São Filipe to Chã das Caldeiras
The village inside Fogo’s caldera is reached by shared 4x4 aluguer from São Filipe. It is a morning-out, afternoon-back rhythm set by the people who live up there, not a timetable — and it thins to nothing on Sundays.
- Departures cluster early from São Filipe and again around the middle of the day from Chã.
- No published times or fares exist; ask at the market the day before.
- Sunday service is the exception, not the rule — plan an overnight rather than a day trip.
Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portalInstituto Marítimo e PortuárioMaritime and port regulator
Santiago · urban Sol Atlântico’s numbered lines
Get around Praia by city bus
Praia is the one place in Cape Verde with a proper published urban network. Sol Atlântico runs numbered lines from 2 to 18, nearly all of them converging on Plateau, with a prepaid card sold through the vinti4 network.
- A single ticket is 43 CVE; a 10-trip prepaid bundle is 430 CVE.
- The first card costs 300 CVE and must be collected in person at a service desk.
- Line 15 is currently posted as provisionally suspended.
Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsTariffs, cards and passesProvisional suspension of line 15
Open Sol Atlântico lines and stopsThe whole archipelago
Choose your island first
Cape Verde has no national transport network. Each island works differently, and what is published about it differs even more. Every card below states which of those two things is true.
Sotavento verified
Santiago
The capital island, and the only one with a documented urban bus network: Sol Atlântico’s numbered lines around Praia. Beyond the city — Assomada, Tarrafal, Cidade Velha — it is aluguer country.
Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsTariffs, cards and passes
Open Sol Atlântico Barlavento none verified
São Vicente
Mindelo has real city buses run by Transcor SV. The problem is verification: the operator’s site has served a hosting placeholder behind an expired certificate, so no line list or fare can be confirmed online. Ask at the stop.
Transcor SVMindelo urban bus operator
Barlavento limited
Santo Antão
No airport, so every arrival is the Porto Novo ferry. Aluguers wait at the pier and run the mountain crossing to Ribeira Grande, Paúl and Ponta do Sol, timed to the boat rather than to a clock.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesENAPORPorts of Cabo Verde
Check the Barlavento crossing Barlavento none verified
Sal
The main international gateway. There is no verified public bus network between Espargos, the airport and Santa Maria; aluguers and taxis carry the traffic, and most package visitors never touch either.
ASA — Aeroportos e Segurança AéreaNational airports authorityGoverno de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
Open the national airports authority Barlavento limited
Boa Vista
Sal Rei and the resort strip, linked to Sal by the Redonda ferry line in just over three hours. Inland, the sand roads are aluguer and 4x4 territory with nothing published.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Sotavento limited
Fogo
São Filipe is the ferry and airport town; the volcano village of Chã das Caldeiras is reached by shared 4x4. The Praia–Fogo crossing takes just over five hours by the operator’s own table.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Sotavento limited
Maio
The quietest of the inhabited islands and the shortest crossing from the capital — one hour forty-five from Santiago. Getting round the island itself means an aluguer or a negotiated ride.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Sotavento check current
Brava
No commercial airport, and the shortest hop in the country — fifty minutes from Fogo. That single boat is also the island’s weak point: when it is out of service, Brava is genuinely isolated.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesInstituto Marítimo e PortuárioMaritime and port regulator
Barlavento limited
São Nicolau
Served by the circular Redonda line: four hours from Santo Antão, three hours forty from São Vicente. Between Tarrafal de São Nicolau and Ribeira Brava, aluguers are the only public option.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
One concession, three very different lines
The CV InterIlhas network is not one service
The national ferry concession runs three route families with completely different reliability. Treating them as one network is the most common planning mistake visitors make.
Barlavento verified
Mindelo – Porto Novo
The country’s only genuinely dependable crossing: 40 minutes, several sailings each way on a normal day, and the sole link to Santo Antão.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
Sotavento check current
Praia – Fogo – Brava, with Maio
A rotating southern pattern that changes week to week. Santiago to Fogo runs 5 hours 5 minutes, Fogo to Brava 50 minutes, Santiago to Maio 1 hour 45.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Redonda check current
The circular line
Santiago, São Nicolau, Sal and Boa Vista on a loop that runs only about twice a week. Legs range from three hours to the best part of a day, and Santiago to Santo Antão end to end is over fourteen hours.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
Fleet verified
Five vessels for nine islands
The operator lists Praia d’Aguada, Sotavento, Kriola, Liberdadi and Inter-ilhas, carrying between 164 and 300 passengers. One vessel out of service reshapes the whole network, which is why breakdown risk is a planning input here.
CV InterIlhasPassenger frequently asked questions
Read the operator’s FAQA routine that survives Cape Verde
Plan every leg in four checks
Nothing here connects to anything else automatically. Buses do not wait for ferries, ferries do not wait for flights, and aluguers do not wait for anybody.
-
Fix the sea legs first
Ferry days are the constraint everything else bends around. Open the operator’s rolling schedule, pick your crossings, and only then decide where you sleep.
CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
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Buy the ticket in time
Tickets must be bought at least an hour and a half before departure, online or through the operator’s agents. Port offices open shortly before sailings, not all day.
CV InterIlhasTicket purchase rulesENAPORPorts of Cabo Verde
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Treat aluguers as a morning service
Village-to-town runs are heaviest at first light and reverse in the early afternoon. After about six in the evening, and on Sundays, assume nothing is running until you have asked locally.
Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portalInstituto Marítimo e PortuárioMaritime and port regulator
-
Keep a flight in your back pocket
When a crossing is cancelled, the domestic airline is the fallback. CVsky, the brand of the state carrier LACV, sells Santiago, São Vicente, Sal, Boa Vista and Fogo online.
CVsky (LACV)Domestic airline routes and bookingASA — Aeroportos e Segurança AéreaNational airports authority
What things actually cost
Cash escudos, and one fare table set by the government
The escudo is pegged to the euro, so prices are stable in euro terms. Two operators publish fares; everything else in the country is negotiated in cash.
Praia city buses
Sol Atlântico publishes a single ticket at 43.00 CVE and prepaid bundles of 5, 10 and 15 trips at 215.00, 430.00 and 645.00 CVE — the same rate per trip.
- Monthly passes: 2,900 CVE general, 2,300 CVE student, 2,100 CVE senior.
- First card 300 CVE; a no-name prepaid card is 250 CVE.
- Passes and trip packages are sold online and through the vinti4 network; the card itself is collected in person.
Sol AtlânticoTariffs, cards and passes
Check current Sol Atlântico faresFerry fares are law, not pricing
CV InterIlhas passenger fares are fixed by government order and published as a full island-to-island table. Non-nationals pay a separate, higher column throughout: 1,500 CVE against 950 CVE on São Vicente–Santo Antão, 2,500 against 1,700 on Sal–Boa Vista.
- Santiago–Fogo: 2,980 CVE national, 4,450 CVE non-national.
- Fogo–Brava: 950 CVE national, 1,500 CVE non-national.
- Santiago–Maio: 1,530 CVE national, 2,300 CVE non-national.
CV InterIlhasPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Open the passenger tariff documentAluguer fares are not published
No authority or operator publishes a price for a shared minibus seat. The fare is agreed in cash before departure, and the same vehicle can be sold either as a seat or as a private charter — the two cost very different amounts.
- Ask what a seat costs, not what the trip costs.
- Carry small escudo notes; cards are not accepted.
- A quoted “whole car” price is a charter, not the shared fare.
Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
Money and payment
The escudo is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate published by the Banco de Cabo Verde, so euro prices barely move. City bus cards top up through vinti4, ferries take cards online and cash at the counter, and aluguers take cash only.
Banco de Cabo VerdeExchange-rate statisticsCV InterIlhasPassenger frequently asked questions
Check the central bank ratePorts, airports and the gaps between
Nothing here is a protected connection
Ferry, flight and road legs are sold and operated separately. Build slack into every transfer, and know which fallback you would actually use.
Ferry ports
ENAPOR runs the commercial ports. Ticket counters open shortly before a sailing rather than all day, and the operator’s one-and-a-half-hour cut-off is enforced.
ENAPORPorts of Cabo VerdeCV InterIlhasTicket purchase rules
Open the national ports authorityWhen the boat does not sail
Since April 2026 domestic flights are operated by CVsky, the brand of the state airline LACV, with two ATR 72-600s. It is the practical fallback for Santiago, São Vicente, Sal, Boa Vista and Fogo when a crossing is cancelled.
- Book directly with the airline rather than assuming a ferry ticket transfers.
- Reduced-capacity aircraft mean cancelled-ferry days fill fast.
CVsky (LACV)Domestic airline routes and booking
Open the domestic airlineAirports without a bus
ASA operates the international and domestic airports. None of them has a verified public bus link in the sources checked here — arrivals at Sal, Boa Vista and São Vicente are served by taxi and aluguer, not by a scheduled airport line.
ASA — Aeroportos e Segurança AéreaNational airports authorityGoverno de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
Open the airports authorityBaggage and boarding
CV InterIlhas allows two hand items per passenger within 55 × 40 × 25 cm and 8 kg each, tickets are checked by crew onboard, and seats cannot be reserved in advance.
CV InterIlhasPassenger frequently asked questions
Worth the ride
Places the buses can take you
Each guide pairs one place with what the official sources actually publish about reaching it — no invented stops, times, or connections.
Capital island Santiago Praia, Cidade Velha and Tarrafal — the only island in the country with a published city bus network. Plan the ride Music island São Vicente Mindelo: the country’s cultural capital, its liveliest port, and its least documented bus network. Plan the ride Hiking island Santo Antão No airport, no bus network — a ferry, a mountain road, and the best walking in the Atlantic. Plan the ride Gateway island Sal The main international arrival point, with the flattest landscape and the thinnest public transport in the country. Plan the ride Dune island Boa Vista Sahara dunes, nesting turtles and sand roads — three hours from Sal by sea and nothing scheduled on land. Plan the ride Volcano island Fogo A live volcano with a village inside its crater, five hours from Praia by sea. Plan the ride
Optional experiences
Experiences that solve more than a bus ride
These curated options help with dispersed sights, guided context or awkward meeting points. Official bus information remains separate.
Island tour Santiago · Praia
Cidade Velha, Tarrafal and the east coast
A full-day guided loop out of Praia taking in the UNESCO-listed Cidade Velha, the Serra Malagueta uplands and Tarrafal beach.
Getting there: Covers the exact Praia–Tarrafal corridor that otherwise means two aluguer legs with no published departure times.
Check availability Island tour Sal · Santa Maria
Sal island experience with a local guide
A guided circuit of Sal covering Espargos, the salt pans at Pedra de Lume and the fishing village of Palmeira.
Getting there: Sal has no verified public bus network, so a guided circuit is the practical way to see the island without hiring a car.
Check availabilityBooking through these links supports this free guide at no extra cost to you.
Sources
Timetable and fare details are checked against the operators’ own publications. Open the original before travel if plans depend on it.
Cape Verde Bus is an independent information guide. It is not an operator, a ticket seller, or part of the Government of Cabo Verde. Operators and public authorities remain the final source for service information.
See every source and when it was checked
Sol Atlântico
Praia bus lines and stops
Praia urban bus lines 2–18 and their stopsSol Atlântico
Tariffs, cards and passes
Praia urban bus fares, cards and monthly passesSol Atlântico
Provisional suspension of line 15
Praia line 15 service noticeTranscor SV
Mindelo urban bus operator
São Vicente urban buses; no usable published informationCV InterIlhas
Routes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
Inter-island ferry routes and published crossing durationsCV InterIlhas
Passenger tariff (national and non-national)
Government-set ferry passenger fares, Despacho 01/2024CV InterIlhas
Ticket purchase rules
Ferry ticket cut-off and accepted payment methodsCV InterIlhas
Passenger frequently asked questions
Ferry fleet, agents, baggage limits and boarding rulesCVsky (LACV)
Domestic airline routes and booking
Domestic inter-island flights as a ferry fallbackASA — Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea
National airports authority
Airport operations and ground-access informationENAPOR
Ports of Cabo Verde
Commercial ports serving the ferry networkInstituto Marítimo e Portuário
Maritime and port regulator
Maritime regulation, notices and safety oversightGoverno de Cabo Verde
National transport services portal
National transport services; publishes no bus or aluguer timetableBanco de Cabo Verde
Exchange-rate statistics
Escudo–euro peg used for currency contextGood to know
Questions before you board
Short, scoped answers drawn from the source ledger above.
How do you get around Cape Verde without a car?
Three ways, and you will use all of them. City buses in Praia, shared aluguer minibuses everywhere else on land, and CV InterIlhas ferries between islands. Only the Praia buses and the ferries publish anything; aluguers are asked about locally.
Source: Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsCV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesGoverno de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
What is an aluguer?
A licensed shared vehicle — usually a Toyota Hiace minibus, sometimes a pickup — that runs a fixed corridor and departs when it is full rather than at a set time. It is the backbone of public transport outside Praia and Mindelo. You flag it anywhere on its route and pay the driver in cash.
Source: Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portalInstituto Marítimo e PortuárioMaritime and port regulator
Is there a Cape Verde ferry schedule online?
Yes. CV InterIlhas publishes a rolling schedule of sailings and a full island-to-island crossing-duration table on its routes and schedules page. It is normally visible only a few weeks ahead, so it is a booking tool rather than a planning tool for trips months out.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
How long is the ferry from São Vicente to Santo Antão?
Forty minutes by the operator’s own published duration table, Mindelo to Porto Novo. It runs several times a day in each direction and is the most reliable crossing in the country — Santo Antão has no airport, so it is the only way in.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing times
How much is the Mindelo to Porto Novo ferry?
The government-set tariff is 950 CVE for nationals and 1,500 CVE for non-nationals, one way. Non-nationals pay a higher column on every route in the network, not just this one.
Source: CV InterIlhasPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Is there a ferry from Sal to Boa Vista?
Yes, on the circular Redonda line: 3 hours 5 minutes, at 1,700 CVE for nationals and 2,500 CVE for non-nationals. But the line calls only about twice a week and its days shift, so confirm the current schedule before booking accommodation around it.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesPassenger tariff (national and non-national)
Is there a ferry from Sal to Santiago?
Technically yes, and you almost certainly should not take it. The Redonda routing is 9 hours 40 minutes at sea and runs rarely. For Sal to Santiago, and equally for Sal to São Vicente, flying with CVsky is the practical option.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesCVsky (LACV)Domestic airline routes and booking
How do I get from Praia to Tarrafal?
By shared aluguer from the Sucupira market area, either through Assomada on the interior road or along the coast through Pedra Badejo and Calheta. There is no scheduled coach, no published time and no published fare — vehicles leave when full, and the flow is strongest early in the morning.
Source: Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
What are the bus routes in Praia?
Sol Atlântico operates numbered lines from 2 to 18, nearly all of them running through Plateau, with Sucupira and Palmarejo as the other main interchange areas. Line 15 is currently posted as provisionally suspended.
Source: Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsProvisional suspension of line 15
Where is the Sucupira terminal in Praia?
Sucupira is Praia’s big market area below Plateau, and it works as the informal interchange for both city lines and the aluguers heading out to Assomada, Tarrafal and Cidade Velha. It is a marketplace with vehicles in it rather than a built bus station.
Source: Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsGoverno de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
How do I get to Chã das Caldeiras from São Filipe?
By shared 4x4 aluguer up into Fogo’s crater. Departures cluster in the early morning from São Filipe and around the middle of the day coming back down, with little or nothing running on Sundays. Nobody publishes times, so ask the day before.
Source: Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portalInstituto Marítimo e PortuárioMaritime and port regulator
How do I get around Santo Antão by aluguer?
Aluguers wait at Porto Novo pier for each ferry arrival and run the crossing to Ribeira Grande, Paúl and Ponta do Sol. Because they are timed to the boat rather than to a clock, missing the ferry usually means missing the onward connection too.
Source: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and island-to-island crossing timesENAPORPorts of Cabo Verde
Is there Uber in Cape Verde?
No. Uber, Bolt and comparable ride-hailing apps do not operate in Cape Verde. Ground transport is aluguers, licensed taxis arranged locally, and the Praia city bus network.
Source: Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
Why does Google Maps show no public transport here?
Because no Cape Verdean operator publishes a machine-readable timetable feed, and no journey planner covers the islands. That gap is exactly why this guide exists and why we are building the app.
Source: Sol AtlânticoPraia bus lines and stopsGoverno de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portal
Before you leave
Take Cape Verde bus times with you.
City buses, aluguer minibuses and inter-island ferries in one app — with every time and fare traced back to who published it.
Cape Verde Bus — app coming soon
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One email when the app is live. Nothing else.