Rides across Greater Portmore, Braeton and the Causeway commute into Kingston. Drift launches for riders on October 1, 2026.
Portmore is a commuter city. Tens of thousands of people live here and work in Kingston, which makes the Causeway and the Mandela Highway two of the most heavily used stretches of road in Jamaica, twice a day, every weekday.
That commute is currently served by route taxis and buses that fill up fast at peak and thin out badly outside it. A late finish at work in New Kingston can mean a long wait or a much more expensive charter.
Drift prices on distance and time and runs around the clock, so the 6am start and the 10pm finish are the same kind of booking.
Areas covered from October 1, 2026
The large planned residential phases and their local plazas.
Residential Braeton and the surrounding schemes.
Established residential areas near the main road.
The commercial centre and shopping.
The beach and fish restaurants on the south coast.
Caymanas Bay, the park and the developing corridor toward Spanish Town.
The routes people actually ask for
The classic commute across the Causeway into the corporate area.
The office and government run into the waterfront district.
Westward along the Mandela Highway corridor.
The weekend run out for fish and festival.
Across Kingston to the Palisadoes strip.
Nearly everything leaving Portmore for Kingston funnels through the Causeway or the Mandela Highway, and both are toll-sensitive and congestion-sensitive. Timing shifts journey length dramatically — the same trip can vary by half an hour depending on when you leave.
Because Drift quotes on distance and time before you book, a peak-hour crawl is priced as what it is, and you agree to it in advance rather than watching a meter climb. Note that road tolls are paid directly by the rider to the toll operator and are not collected through the app.
Same app, same account, launching October 1, 2026
Rides across New Kingston, Half Way Tree, Downtown and the corporate area
Rides along the Hip Strip, Rose Hall, Ironshore and Sangster Airport
Rides for the cruise pier, Dunn's River, Turtle Beach and the north coast resorts
Rides along Seven Mile Beach, the West End cliffs and the Norman Manley Boulevard strip
Rides across St Catherine, the historic centre and the Kingston corridor
What people ask about getting around Portmore
No. Uber does not operate in Jamaica following the June 2024 restrictions on app-based ride-hailing. Drift launches for riders on October 1, 2026, covering Portmore and the Kingston commute.
Yes. From October 1, 2026 you can book across the Causeway to New Kingston, Downtown or anywhere else in the Corporate Area, with the fare shown in Jamaican dollars before you confirm.
No. Road tolls are paid by the rider directly to the toll operator and are not metered or collected through the Drift app.
Yes, Drift runs 24 hours a day. Late finishes and early starts are exactly the times when route taxi availability thins out.
Download Drift now and set up your account before launch. The moment Jamaica goes live on October 1, 2026, you can book straight away.