The Bahama Islands have a great variety of numberplate types for different vehicle functions, and many of them are dedicated to the particular island on which they are licenced. Thus a black-on-yellow taxi plate can be seen on every inhabited island, but marked with the Island code:
NP 127 — Nassau, capital of the Bahamas, uses the code of its island, New Providence, to code its taxi plates. This 1997 series is still current. Brumby archive 2015
AB 64 — Abaco Island taxi. Brumby archive 2008
EX 12 — The few Exuma Cays which have motors, use the code EX to show their origin. and use the standard black-on-yellow given to all public taxis in the Bahamian archipelago.
OT 5 — This Dealer plate from an unknown colour series, was for sale in a fleamarket in Nassau. Brumby archive 2015
OT 313 — The current white-on-orange Dealer (On Test) plate required a 5-km. pursuit round New Providence, to snap this shot. Brumby archive 2015
OT 78 — A Dealer/On Test plate seen in Nassau in 1986. Brumby archive 1986
30 — The white-on-black special issue plates are not presently understood. It MAY be that an owner can ask for the re-issue of a pre-independence, numbers-only registration, such as 61, below. Brumby archive 2015
Nassau 61 Bahamas — from the 1930s to the 1960s, Bahamas used a simple numeric registration, in the British style/size, and if the cars left the islands, adhesive tags were often added to aid identification. Here, car 61 (a re-issue even then) on a Triumph 2000 estate car seen in 1971 England, carries ‘Nassau’ and ‘Bahamas’ either side of the number. Brumby archive 1971
CD 39 — is from the long-running white-on-blue diplomatic series, made on plastic sheet, rather than the pressed-alloy material of most Bahamas plates. Brumby archive 2015
CD 304 — in Nassau, May 2015. Brumby archive 2015
CD 12 / Bahamas — see in Ascot, GB, during 1970s. Morris Marina estate car. Brumby archive 1973
S 17 — A few horsedrawn carriages ply forhire near the cruise terminal in Hassau and some carry an old black-on-white plate type no longer in use. Brumby archive 2015
A much overpainted carriage plate S 17.
LI 47 — Private-hire Limousines with uniformed drivers have long had their own ‘Livery’ plates in the Bahamas. Currently two types exist, both in yellow-on-black, the LI version seeming to be the most recent. Brumby archive 2015
Livery NP 239 — The other livery format uses the island code on the yellow-on-black plate – though by no means do all the smaller Out Islands have a limousine series, as there is no need. Brumby archive 2015
Livery N/P 213 — The former colours for Livery plates from the 1970s to 1995(?), were black-on-white. This Mercedes was photo’d in Nassau in 1986. Brumby archive 1986
Livery NP 5 — Another version of the Livery plates for the 1970s-1995(?) was also black-on-white, with lettering variation. Brumby archive 1986
NP 130 — Yet another passenger hire usage is for the Tour Cars, in red-on-white, which have had the TC prefix recently supplemented by the island code, in this case, New Providence – NP
TC 193 — The other Tour Car series. Brumby archive 2015
23 –– An earlier Tour Car series, thought to be from the 1970s. The new plate is mounted over an NP private car plate. Brumby archive undated
Bahamas buses come in several plate types. Here is a Government bus, which might be seen on any island, without any differentiation. Bus 683 is seen on Great Exuma, though there is no evidence of it! Brumby archive 2015.
Bus NP 4 — Black-on-emerald plates are for buses used for tourism purposes, (Tour Bus) and use the island codes prefixes. Brumby archive 2015
Bus NP 240 — Town buses on regular routes in New Providence and elsewhere (Route Buses) use yellow-on-turquoise plates. Brumby archive 2015.
Bus/AB 68/Bahamas — Black-on-white plates are used for privately-0wned buses, for example, used by companies, (some) schools, clubs etc. This one is seen in Abaco. Brumby archive 1986
Bus/AB 55/Bahamas — white on turquoise bus plates are for (public?) school buses. AB codes Abaco island. Brumby archive 1986
Bus /EX 5 /Bahamas – Black-on-white plates are used for private buses, used by churches, schools, clubs etc. This church-owned bus is seen in Great Exuma. Brumby archive 2015
Exuma/10 .. rental motorcycle
Inagua/198 .. rental motorcycle
Abaco/SD 1148 — Abaco rental car Brumby archive 2008
Nassau/SD 2829 — New Providence (Nassau) rental car 2015
Abaco/415 — Abaco private motorcycle 2008
Exuma/372 — private motorcycle
846 — National issue Government motorcycle (seen on Abaco)
Government /3165/Bahamas — Normal Bahamas Government plates have long shown ‘Government’ over the registration and ‘Bahamas’ below.
Nassau/3739/Government — 2015 sees the first of a variant on the Gvt. theme. Brumby archive 2015
Bahamas/135/Government — The first Government plates seen were in 1960s London. The new Ford Zephyr Mk 3 was GB-registered 340 EGX under the Home-Delivery Export Scheme, which allowed for collection ex-factory, a period of use in Europe & Britain, then a shipment to the country of purchase. Brumby archive 1960s.
Bahamas 348 Government — Another 1960s government plate, on an Austin 1100. VB archive c1966
MP 30 — Specially-coloured plates for Govt. officers are black-on-mid-blue. MP codes a Member of Parliament. Brumby archive 2015.
CM 10 — CM codes a Cabinet Minister 2015
T 815 — Very few Out Island plates are to be seen
on New Providence. This Eleutheran Cargo (Truck) was one in May 2015, Front plate (rear plates carry adhesive tax renewal strips)
Another Out Island plate seen was this Grand Bahama 55348.
OUT ISLANDS 8856 BAHAMAS — Before each island issued its own plates, they used mainland numeric issues, often with ‘OUT ISLANDS’ on the home-made plate, and often on a green background with white lettering. This is a picture taken outside Harrods in London during the early 1960s. Brumby archive c.1962
mORE TO FOLLOW………………….
Hello Vic,
I presume 340 EGX would have had a yellow frame on its plate. If so I’d like to use it for my book, please. I trust that would be OK.
Regards
John
I expect it would, John. Of course you may use it!