taxi prices

[wrtiii]

I NEVER pay more than the established, set, official rate ... NEVER EVER

...just like in WashingtonDC, i don't try to pump/push more money into the public subway pay-machine, or pubic bus pay-box ... NO MORE than whatever the fare IS...!!..

i don't tip the WashDC bus driver
i don't tip the WashDC subway driver

and don't tip in Jamaican PUBLIC transportation system ---- aka ''..route taxi..''

never ever.

all that said,
it seems to me that the *confusion* comes-from the mind-set of the tourist/foreigners.

we/they/them *hear* the word '.taxi.' and think taxi-like-foreign taxi/system

no no noooooooooooooooooooo

Smith, I totally enjoy reading about your experiences in Jamaica, and find them both entertaining and educational. So I'm not just trying to be argumentative, but find this an interesting discussion.

I do take route taxis when I'm alone, but usually do a charter if my wife is with me. Just a difference in comfort level. This is a habit that I probably developed because when we started going to Negril, the route taxis were often pretty beat up. You have pointed out that now they usually are in good condition.

I would say that half the time when I use a route cab, the driver asks me for something extra. This is usually money, but in one case the driver admired my sneakers and asked me if I would leave them with him when I went back to the states! They are polite, and it's a request not a demand, but they do ask.

Is it the difference between my appearance and yours that determines this? Or just a difference in demeanor where you look like you know the runnings and I seem a little uncertain and they think (or hope) that I do not? I am curious about it, but have no way of telling (and it's not a big deal either way).

But giving the driver an extra couple of dollars and telling him to give someone who needs it a ride feels right to me, so I do it.