Tbilisi Airport Buses to Operate 24 Hours

TBILISI – Tbilisi Transport Company, which operates public bus services between the Georgian capital’s center and its international airport 18km away, announced Monday that a new 24-hour operating schedule would begin effective immediately.

Public bus 37, which operated the regular airport line, will now run an overnight service from 00:00 am to 7:00 am with buses making trip every 35 minutes for 50 tetri (USD 0.20).

Nearly all flights arrive at the airport after midnight or early in the morning due to ongoing repairs on the airport’s runway that force the airport to close during the prime daylight hours.

The poorly-timed repair works have become a logistical nightmare for the airport as visitors are forced to manage their arrival and departure times based on a condensed schedule.

Most visitors arriving in Tbilisi frequently complain about the capital’s poor public transport infrastructure both to and from the airport.

Due to the repair works, visitors are forced to use a private taxi, as city bus services end prior to midnight and do not begin until 7:00am. This has allowed taxi companies and private drivers who service the airport to exploit the current situation by driving up prices for foreigners to as high as 50 euros for a 20-minute drive to the city center.

The maximum official price for a taxi to or from the airport and central core of the city is GEL 25.