good to know...
http://www.ta.org.jm/documents/Fares...stmoreland.pdf
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good to know...
http://www.ta.org.jm/documents/Fares...stmoreland.pdf
Interesting... so, if I read this right, its now 120J for the cliffs, and 130j for the beach? Certainly not as simple as before, but probably long due.
Not sure I understand the chart... looks like there is a beach road to west end for 165. Didn't think that was an option in the past.
It says beach road to Negril $130, yet Norman Manley Blvd to Negril is $120. ??? What makes the difference? And West end to Negril is $130.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiknback
And yes, is there going to be a beach/cliffs route? How would we easily pick out those taxis?
I think I'll be tipping lots this way (which isn't a bad thing).
Well since the route taxi system was not really suppose to be for tourists, tipping would make sense!
Just clarifying....Says. Norman Manley to West End=165 Yet West end to Negril =130.... ? So does this mean that what use to be 100 to round about and another 100 to Norman Manley is no longer?? Is it now 165 from NM to West End or is it 260 for the trip?? I am not upset at all with the increase..just wanting to make sure that I know the runnings before I reach. Could someone clarify this for me??
I'll be talking to Linston today and post his information. His route is Negril to Green Island and charters
I guess it's cheaper for the West End to Negril route since it's down hill. They use less gas. <grin>Quote:
Originally Posted by yetta
I know Rob will help clarify all this as he gets more details, but for now, I'm guessing that the Normal Manley price of J$120 covers the area from the roundabout to about Sunset At The Palms. The J$130 may be targeted for going to/coming from the RIU resorts since technically they are in the next parish? However, based on past practice, for ease of confusion and the fact that change (coin) is a challenge, I wouldn't be surprised if the route taxi drivers accept J$120 no matter where you get in or out on the beach road.
For the West End, there have always been two prices. The basic fee from the roundabout to the Lighthouse, and then the higher rate for the "Deep West" - anything past Hylton Ave (would include Moondance On The Cliffs, Hideawhile, Tingalaya's, Jackie's On The Reef, the Westender, Out of Town Pastries, etc.)
Just a guess and looking forward to the clarification.
some of the beach route taxi drivers don't do the West End......
so you have to get out downtown anyways.....either at the Bus Park......
or by da the roundabout by the Cambio/Scotia Bank parking area.....
and then take a route taxi to da West End Route Taxi......
so the total cost now, if you switch taxis, will be $250J'(25% difference)
versus the old $200J's($100+$100)......still not going to kill ya
personally mi have never paid less than $200J's to go from the beach to mi place on the West End....
so mi not expecting to pay $165J's per the chart......lol......dats way to dayum cheap
so mi will figure on da $250J's till one of mi buddies in Negril tell mi different......
still think $210J's to go from Negril to Sav is a bargain.....it use to be $170J's.....
you save about 30% on your grocery bill in Sav versus Negril........
so when you live in Negril it's worth going to Sav.......
just wish dat Farmers Market in Negril the last Wednesday of da month was every week.....
the prices are set for the veggies and fruits from any vendor.....
so you can't loose at the Farmers Market....
Cool Runnings, Marko
Just talked to Linston. Negril - Green Island is 130.
thanks captaind - now I'm even more confused though, because the chart says 175. ???
Captian D, have you had time to speak with Linston to get his take on the new fare rate? I know someone pointed out some time back on the board a rate that seemed far and was always taken. I put it into place on our last trip and it worked well. He said for 2 people on one route to say 300 j okay. I know that is over the 100j per person but since route taxi's are really for the locals and not us tourist it sounded like a far/fare to offer a little more. It worked so well last year I just figure I will use the same again this next reach since it is still above the new rate.
Captian D, you can ignore my question to you since I see you have spoken to Linston but did not see it before I posted.
I don't understand why some people continue to think that "route taxis are really for the locals" Should one also think that the grocery store is really for the locals, the bakery is really just for the locals, etc? Certainly one can be considerate and add a tip to the fare, and maybe not use the route taxis at the very busiest times of the day.
Yes I have.Quote:
Originally Posted by kylake
I assume we are reminded so that we remain considerate. Defer to locals when busy, etc. and not be boorish tourists where "it's all about me" thing. I believe that's important and to also consider that you may be sharing your ride and should respect their route (ask if they're willing to extend for extra $, and accept their answer if it's "no", or don't ask and just make the switch yourself). I saw someone post on TA that they made a deal with a "route" taxi driver to extend and the driver asked the locals already in the car to get out so that he could accommodate the tourists. That was shocking and went way too far IMO. I would never have done that. And if more and more of that happens, it is pretty sad for the locals. When that happens, it's not good for tourists to use route taxis. But, as long as respectful of the system and locals, I don't see a problem either. I know it's complicated and don't know all the history, but to me, it's like saying tourists in my home town shouldn't use the bus system. They can, as long as they follow the same rules as everyone else. I guess the difference here, is that buses will not break the rules or route and would not be allowed to favor tourists for more money, so no chance that it would be abused...and our locals would not be inconvenienced or have their jobs jeopardized because of it. Tourists have to respect the route taxi system and know that locals rely on it to get to and from work on time - it falls apart and is a serious problem when that doesn't happen. That's my take on it anyway, maybe there are other reasons???Quote:
Originally Posted by sunray
Because the route taxis really are for the local Jamaican community.Quote:
Originally Posted by sunray
When you add the word "just" you change the whole meaning as in saying "only" which is not something I said.Quote:
Originally Posted by sunray
We are tourist and use facilities, stores, taxis, etc that are for the local community, but never forget this is there domain not ours if you are a tourist.
I don't understand the Route Taxi fascination although I sometimes take them.
For two people; it's now going to cost several hundred dollars (maybe 500 with a small tip to get from the beach to the cliffs-two rides).
I have never had to pay more than 5 or 6 dollars U.S. for a daytime charter from the beach to the Seastar Lane, plus a tip of course.
Charters are private rides. You're not picking up other passengers and holding a student on your lap during school times.
Taxis in Negril are a total bargain compared to what you would pay in North America.
In my hometown a ride from say Margaritaville to Seastar Lane would cost close to 20 dollars.
Good point, Big_frank. It does make a difference for solo travelers though. Especially those on a tight budget like myself. Route taxis are great for staying on route, for one person, like heading to Shamrock or downtown and back from say Margaritaville area. Sometimes it's great to have a ride, especially when carrying bags. A hotel charter can charge $10 return for that ride. Same cost for one or two people. I'd be a lot less mobile without route taxis.
Yes Melody; different if you're on your own. Good Point!
Morning,
When I rode from the taxi park in Negril up the Beach Road to the Catholic Church the taxi driver told me that cost is 120 JMD and that's the price up to Beaches Hotel - if you go further and up to the RIU's you would pay 130 JMD.
St. Anthony's Kitchen
Thank you St. Anthony's Kitchen. That first hand information of pricing on the beach road confirms my initial guess of how the two sets of beach road pricing would work.
Sunray,Quote:
Originally Posted by sunray
Here is what I wrote back in February of 2012 - and it still applies. The rural route taxi system was NOT designed with the tourist in mind. Even the Jamaica Tourist Board states on their site that "...route taxis are the primary means of transportation for the majority of people on the island, but are recommended only for the more intrepid tourist."
From Feb 2012:
"I am puzzled as to why this is such a hard thing for some to accept. This is a very simple concept folks. Perhaps the reason why some think there is no impact on the transportation needs of the local populace is that those people are here for short periods of time and have no year round experience to draw from. What happens during busy season cannot be applied to slow times, and vice versa. Or maybe they are just not paying close enough attention to the reality to discern the truth.
The current route taxi system in Jamaica was NOT DESIGNED WITH VISITORS TO THE ISLAND IN MIND. While there is no rule, no law that states a tourist cannot use the route taxis (in fact, the drivers are required to pick up everyone who wants a ride - without discrimination), there is a common sense impact that must be present when one thinks about the issue.
There are clues for everyone to see that the route taxi public transportation was NOT designed with visitors in mind. The obvious first clue is visible to every single visitor who comes out of the airport - the public transportation bus stop is OUTSIDE the airport on the main road, not inside the airport where you arrive with your baggage. You would have to haul your bags outside the airport to get the public transportation. The previous government thought about changing this policy and create a bus/taxi stop inside the airport, but decided against it after they did an impact study. It was decided that it would put undue pressure on the current system. Clue number 1.
You will also notice the lack of "take public transportation" advertisements in any of the tourist literature or billboards in the tourist areas. Clue number 2.
A cynic or conspiracy theorist may try to claim this is a ploy created by the government and ex-pats alike to force the visitor into paying for charter taxis - that they are somehow in cahoots with the charter taxis to redirect money from unsuspecting route taxi drivers. Well, I suppose they are entitled to think this, but it is no more true than was all the scare about the Y2K bug that was supposed to cripple the planet at the beginning of this century. Back then, I told everyone who was freaking about the Y2K bug to think for one second. Banks had been offering 20-30 year mortgages, and these were running well into the next century since the 70's. You think they didnt anticipate this problem a long time before 1999? Simple reality check.
As with the above, logic will let you understand the truth here and not to give much weight to some uninformed beliefs from others.
Yesterday I was at the Corner Bar in order to count the number of taxis moving by there on the West End. In less than 8 minutes, I counted 13 route taxis and 5 charter taxis pass by. There is a sharp turn there so the taxis must slow down enough for me to read the wording on the taxi. The interesting factor was that only 5 of the route taxis had West End painted on the side. The other route taxis had designations from other areas. While technically they are driving the route illegally, this does show a very simple supply/demand relationship during busy season. The MAJORITY of the route taxis operating during this very short time period were not even supposed to be on that route.
As I have mentioned previously, there are a limited number of route taxis designated for each route, such as the West End (Smith even mentioned the West End designation on the taxi). The increase in demand during busy season in Negril is now encouraging other route taxis to service the West End. In addition to possibly making some of the West End route taxis not be as full as they might have been, all the other route taxis came from other routes. So now they are not servicing their own routes - which of course would have an impact on their route passengers. The local populace that was served by these route taxis are not being served during busy season. There is an impact for those people. This is simple deductive reasoning, no grand conspiracy required.
And then we have the issue of busy vs slow season. As stated, yesterday route taxis went by at a pace of about 1 every 30 seconds. During slow season, this is not the case. Passengers can wait many minutes in order to get a ride, sometimes 15 minutes or more. So, if that single route taxi that passes by is filled with tourists trying to save pocket change on a ride, then they may have to wait an additional 15 minutes before the next ride comes by. To claim there is no impact only means someone is not paying attention to the truth.
As for questioning the source - well, I live here. I have lived in Jamaica for nearly 20 years full time. I have friends who drive route, charter and tour vehicles, so I really have no personal interest in which one makes what money. Negril.com does have tour operators as clients - but they are not being discussed in this thread. Negril.com makes no income from route or charter drivers.
But lets take a second to check the sources of some of the other information. One of the proponents of the idea that there is no impact on the local populace when tourists take route taxis just last year was stating how fun "bike taxis" are to take and that their landlord happens to drive one. I pointed out that there are no legal bike taxis on the island and no visitor should take one. They said they would check with their landlord about this as they wouldnt do something that would put tourists at risk. It is interesting that there was no further defense of the bike taxis, that indeed there are no legal bike taxis on the island. Point here being just because you believe something does not make it so.
To address CarrieBean's comment, just a few years ago there was very little if any information on the internet about the illegal white plate taxis. Negril.com went on a mission to inform visitors to this reality since it had been too long overlooked. Thanks to the efforts of this website, we have educated thousands of travelers to Jamaica about taking only red plated taxis and that information is being spread on websites all over the net. This has happened in just a few years.
While you can think that "it would never be the case" that every single tourist would take a route taxi, the truth is that there could easily be enough of them doing it to seriously change the usefulness of the route taxis for the local population."
Here is a link to the entire thread from Feb 2012:
http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...ute+taxi+local
Rob, you make some valid points and observations about the route taxi system. I won't feel bad using this service from time to time, it's just not always practical to try to charter a taxi to go a mile up the beach. Not to mention having to go through the hassle of negotiating fares, especially when you meet a driver that thinks you are a little on the "fresh" side.:rolleyes:
I've often thought how convenient it would be to have an intra-Negril bus service (tourist and/or public) for all the short hops within Negril. Bet that would be easier said than done for a whole lot of reasons. Any thoughts on the chances of that?
Sunray,
That was tried and failed, for those same "whole lots of reasons" that you probably have already thought of.... (grin)
You're most welcome Olivia! And I just did it again the last two days.... rode from the taxi park in Negril up to the Catholic Church on beach Road..... price was still the same, ie $120 JMD.Quote:
Originally Posted by Olivia
Strongly agree. I view route taxis as public transportation. Of course I am considerate of rush hour, have never asked to go off route, and choose my drivers with care. When I travel to a destination I want to experience the local way of life. Of course *they* (whoever they are - JTB?) want tourists to spend money on proscribed venues and activities. Most of those venues and activities are not things that interest me. I am one of the "bad sheep" that strays from the herd every chance I get, and I take full responsibility and enjoyment in that.Quote:
Originally Posted by sunray
I agree with you, in premise, but I sometimes have to bargain hard for a $500 - $600J taxi ride from the cliffs to the beach (for my wife and I). Usually, I'll offer $500J upfront, and half the time I'll get a response like, "Nooo - that's a ten dollar ride!". If I don't feel like waiting for another taxi, I'll bargain a little more and usually end up paying $800J. Otherwise, I'll wait for the next one hopefully get the fare I want.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big_frank
I find that it's the guys driving the beaters that usually accept the $500J offer (or counter-offer $600). The guys driving the shiny new vans always want to gouge tourists as much as they can. They probably make most of their money driving guests back to the AI's after Rick's closes.
In fairness to the taxi drivers at that time....chartering a taxi for 500j (approx $5us) for two people was only 100j (approx $1us) more than a regular route taxi price for two people.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike_D
By offering a chartered ride the taxi driver is giving up his route pick ups & losing additional income these pick ups would provide...thus the reason for charging more for a chartered/private ride.
The 500J for two people would not even come close to being sufficient for that route....especially with recent rate increases.
As of today from the beach to the cliffs or cliffs to the beach...for a chartered/private ride for two people...$10us or 1000j (this would be including a tip) will easily get you there.
Also just a reminder....use red plated vehicles as they are the only vehicles licensed and insured to carry paying passengers.
The Jamaican Tourist board actually recommends route taxis for more intrepid tourists. Who am I to argue with them?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob
Intrepid tourists. Going where no others would dare!!!! :)
I totally agree with you, Lisa. Which is why I say that I typically pay $800 on average + tip for a trip from the cliffs to the beach (or vice versa). In the evening it would be around $1500-$2000. On the other hand, I find that the taxi driver loafing on the side of the beach road will happily accept $600 for the same trip because otherwise he would be earning $0. However, this is the exception not the rule, which is why I was surprised that Big Frank said that he never paid more that 5 or 6 bucks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bnewb
I should clarify, that I'm speaking mostly about my experiences from October 2012 and before. On our last trip, this past June, everybody from our regular airport transfer to the random charter taxi was asking for more money since the price of gas had gone up so much.