previously posted info on saving tons of $$ over taxis

[Brianinidaho]

From an earlier post, hoping it is helpful to some:

The taxi business seems to be a huge racket . It is “regulated” which appears to be simply an organized racket. There is a reason why there are hundreds of taxis inside the gated area of the port waiting to give rides. If I lived there I would want to drive a taxi as well because of the rates they charge. When you get off the ship, they want $13 per person to go to Red Hook, $10 per person for a group of 2 or more. We had 7, which would have been $140 round trip (I rented a car here once for $30 per day.. ya, they drive on the other side, but we made it work). So, we walked outside the gate and was offered the same trip for half price by a taxi. Walked 2 blocks toward Kmart and found that the locals were ridding the open air taxis for $2 each. Roundtrip was $28 for our party of 7 versus $140. And the local open air bus and the private expensive taxis all have the same traffic problems. The stops our bus made added less than 4 minutes to the total time. And we felt 100% safe the entire time. My point is that it is easy to see why no locals take the cabs that all the tourists line up to take… way too expensive. So if you are adventurous slightly, save a ton of money. The drivers are helpful. There are little doorbell type buttons on the roof you push to signal the drive you want off.

[Keys2Heaven]

Unfortunately, the same type of local transportation is not available on St. John. You HAVE to take a taxi at very inflated rates or rent a car. Trunk Bay is too far to walk to from what I hear.

[CaribbeanBound]

Brianinidaho is absolutely right! Thank you for posting.

 

What's interesting is that I knew about the buses, yet had 3 locals lie to me saying there wasn't one. My wife was begining to think I was nuts, all the way up until a friendly open air bus picked us up (while another local was trying to convince us to pay him to take us to Saphire.)

 

Complete details on where to catch a bus to Saphire...

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/millennium.html

[Brianinidaho]

Glad to help.

[enjoyinglife]

So, would it be possible to take the open air buses to redhook, then take the taxi to St John, then a cab to trunk Bay? Same but in reverse order on return trip?

 

Thanks

[The Islander]

Hello Enjoyinglife,

 

The dollar rides, which is what the type of transportation Caribbean Bound and Brian are refering to is called in St. Thomas, and the public buses (which are not the same as the dollar rides) have basically the same routes. The east end route does pass through Red Hook.

 

You'd then take a ferry to St. John. And then a taxi from Cruz Bay St. John (where the ferry arrives) to Trunk Bay (or where ever you might want to go... there are taxis usually right by the ferry dock in Cruz Bay).

 

--Islander

*****

[enjoyinglife]

Islander,

 

Where would we go to get the dollar ride? And then how often do they pass?

 

And on the way back, when we get off the ferry, where would we go to get them?

 

Thanks,

[LuvMyVette]

Hi

 

Will the buses go to Megan's Bay or am I stuck taking a taxi from the pier?

Thanks for your help!

[mypyr]

Islander-

Why haven't you suggested these "dollar rides" before to all of us cruise ship passengers? Are you perhaps a taxi driver? I agree that the rates at the port are wildly overprices!! So where do we go (as specifically as you can be please) once we dock to get these rides? Do they go to ALL the beaches? If not, which ones?

Thanks!

[Ms411]

I live in St Thomas, and frequently take the "dollar rides/safaris." Very few locals will recommend them, because they don't go to the most scenic parts of the island (with the exception of Sapphire Beach area), and not everyone is convinced they're as safe as they're purported to be on this board.

 

I took a safari the other day, and one of the local homeless bums got on (he may have been on already when I got on, but I didn't notice). He got off when the safari stopped near KMart, and walked away without paying the driver. The driver stopped in the middle of the road to curse the guy out. Of course, the guy responded in kind, and the driver got out and walked threateninly towards the guy, yelling with every step. He quickly came back, because he had us waiting, but there have been instances where altercations have broken out and tensions escalated to more violent means. All over a $1/$2 fare.

 

So, if you're going to take the $2 safari to Red Hook, just be very alert and be careful crossing the streets to the safari stops. And remember, this is public transportation, and it can get pretty "local" sometimes.

[The Islander]

Enjoying Life - The dollar rides generally stop at or around bus stops. They are not on a schedule but generally pass every 15-20 minutes from early morning to early evening. If your ship is docked at Havensight, you'd need to get out to the main road, turn left, at the fork in the road in front of Wendys (fast food place) go right which leads toward K-mart, the Hospital etc. and bus stop. When you get dropped in Red Hook ask the driver where to wait for the return trip, that way they can just point you to the right place.

 

Lets Party - the dollar rides do not go to Magens Bay or close to Magens that I am aware of. They follow the public bus route for the most part and the public bus has very limited routes on the northside of the island - which is where Magens Bay is located.

 

Mypyr - Sarcasm doesn't come across well on message boards. Or perhaps you weren't being sarcastic. Anyway, where to go to catch a dollar ride from the dock - see comment to Enjoying Life above. The dollar rides don't go to any beaches; they follow the general route of public buses which stick to the main road of areas that are most densely populated by residents for residence or for work/school. The West End route passes close to Brewers Bay & Emerald Beach. The East End route passes along the main road and gets you close to most beaches on the east end of the island but with varying lengths of having to walk from the main road to the beach itself. For transporation options on St. Thomas visit http://www.*****/stthomas/getting_around_stt/.

 

--Islander

http://www.*****

[enjoyinglife]

Thanks Islander,

I really appreciate the information. Not really decided if we will do a taxi or dollar rides, but glad to have the info and different options.

 

Again thanks, and I cant wait to see your beautiful island!:)

[gizmo]

Islander-

Why haven't you suggested these "dollar rides" before to all of us cruise ship passengers? Are you perhaps a taxi driver? I agree that the rates at the port are wildly overprices!! So where do we go (as specifically as you can be please) once we dock to get these rides? Do they go to ALL the beaches? If not, which ones?

Thanks!

 

This does come off somewhat sarcastic. Islander does not solicit taxis. Taxis/safari buses are the normal transportation for cruise pax. The majority of pax use them.

 

If you took the time to do a SEARCH, you would have found plenty of posts on the subject of buses and you would have seen Islander answering these posts. When asked about buses, he has answered.

 

Islander has provided a great service to all those that post on this board.

He has answered hundreds of questions, many over and over again.

 

Islander, thanks for all the help you have provided. :)

[LuvMyVette]

Islander ~ Thank you very much for the response, it's greatly appreciated. We'll take a taxi to Megan's Bay since that's the only way we can go. Are taxi's there most of the time? We're concerned about getting back to the ship in time. If we informed the driver to come back at a specific time would he/she do it? This is the only concern that we have right now. Thanks again!

 

Would like to get your opinin of Havensight Mall. We plan on going there after Megan's Bay to pick up a few things (mostly t-shirts). Are the stores good there? Any particular stores that you would recommend? Thank you!

Gizmo ~ Love the avatar! I still have Gizmo from when I was a kid and saving it for my future little one. LOL

[The Islander]

Hello,

 

Letsparty - There is a taxi stand area at Magens Bay so yes its pretty easy to get a taxi when you are ready to leave. Not an issue.

 

Many stores have a location in Havensight and in downtown Charlotte Amalie and then there are some that are unique to CA and likewise some unique to Havensight. The stores in Havensight are good, and if its mostly t-shirts you are looking for you will find a nice selection as several of the souvenir shops sell them.

 

Enjoyinglife and Gizmo - you are very welcome.

 

--Islander

http://www.*****

[LuvMyVette]

Islander

Thank you very much for your response, it's greatly appreciated. Can you pull any magic tricks so the ship can arrive before 1pm? :D

Have a great day!

[Brianinidaho]

Islander-

Why haven't you suggested these "dollar rides" before to all of us cruise ship passengers? Are you perhaps a taxi driver? I agree that the rates at the port are wildly overprices!! So where do we go (as specifically as you can be please) once we dock to get these rides? Do they go to ALL the beaches? If not, which ones?

Thanks!

 

I don't know if anyone on this board is a taxi driver but I have sensed an over all "only take an expensive taxi" attitude by several folks who purport to be local people. One here said many cruise ship passengers take the dollar rides, yet others have posted they have been flat out lied to about where to get them and if they even exist when they arrive on the island.

 

While these might not be "right" for all tourists, everyone should benefit by knowing about this option. When you have flat out lies at the pier and folks trying to scare people with homeless bum stories (non-payment happens in taxis and other forms of transportation also!) you wonder if it is all about money.

 

The bottom line is that I felt the taxi rates were outrageous. $40 for 4 people to go a few miles, pier to red hook, one way?