Route Taxi Fares

[Irine]

Ya I guess. Still makes me sad, takes away from the laid back "no worries" visit we always have there. He takes us places we wouldn't trust just anyone to take us. Invites us up to his home in Roaring River for dinner with his sister and we do take him for dinner and drinks and often he won't take a fee at the end of the day. It is very complicated witnessing a 3rd or 2nd world country's progression towards a 1st world country and I have a lot to learn. We always have considered any amount of money we have given him a gift, he works hard and he probably has a red plate already. I'll call him next weekend to se how he's doing, I haven't spoken to him in awhile. Thanks for the input, it is really a gift that this board has so many educated people available to converse with.

[TuffGong]

If anyone can help, this will only be my second trip coming up to Negril. So I am staying at Catcha but I want to go down to the beach. I exit Catcha and stand on the side of the road and either wait for a red plate or a route taxi with the yellow light on top, correct? How often do these route taxis come thru the cliffs area? Every 15 minutes, more often than that, etc? Any advice would be helpful and appreciated.

[mbrennan5]

During the day, you'll rarely wait more than a minute or two before you see a red plate. Stick your thumb out like you're hitch-hiking. If you want to take a route taxi (red plate) directly to the beach from the cliffs than you need to negotiate a rate. That's because the cliffs route technically ends at the roundabout, so you are chartering a direct route (without any other pickups). (Offering 500J should do the trick). If you want to keep it route taxi's then take it to the roundabout for 150J, exit the taxi at the roundabout, walk to the other side, and do the same thing with a beach route taxi.

The key that I found with any route taxi is you need to know when to tell them to stop. I got into my first one, asked to go to Quality seafood, and he drove right by. Charged me double since he circled around the roundabout and dropped me off on the way back through. Linston tells me that is the drivers way of pulling a fast one on you!