Quote Originally Posted by Accompong View Post

You can see that we are all looking for our "travel bargains" when planning our vacations but many times these "bargains" are not trickling down to the people who actually do the work to provide us with a great vacation. As an example, let's use the subject of transportation to and from the airport to Negril. We want to get the best bargain so we do our research and find that a seat on a crowded JUTA bus in dollar terms is the best bargain unless we travel like a local Jamaican and use the Route Taxi system.

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Because there are so many cars in Jamaica, everyone with one wants to think of themselves as a driver but only those with enough money to get a Red Plate and Insurance can actually call themselves one. The competition is fierce between all the forms of transportation that perks like cold Red Stripe etc. are included to provide the personal service that we as "bargain" travelers want to enjoy. But all these perks do come at a price squeezing the owner's small even more.

Once you use the private taxis like Clives and develop a "friendship" with the driver then you rightly justify your spending the money for the service they provide but what about the JUTA drivers in the big buses? It is much like taking a Greyhound bus between cities here in the US. The JUTA bus drivers are paid to get you from Point A to Point B and the amount they are paid is not so much that offering a pit stop that gives them some money for the business they bring to other Jamaican businesses isn't just a perk but a necessity as well.

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Peace and Guidance
Well put Acc.

Having just spent the last year assisting with a "red plate" for my son Linston I can assure you it is not a cheap undertaking. There is certainly a huge difference between an owner/operator and a hired driver.

We decided on a very limited business model that hopefully will avoid the vigorous competition in the industry. The taxi is not Linston's sole responsibility so he actually runs part time on an "as needed" basis. Repeat business is the key to this model and providing something more than a simple ride.

Being a transportation sponsor here and with me being somewhat known has made the start up much easier.

That's a long way from a JUTA driver working for a salary and trying to make a few extra bucks.

You get what you pay for. Find a driver, pay him fairly and you will enjoy your visit that much more. If you really need to save 10 or 15 bucks on transportation then take JUTA.

And by the way it's Linston's Taxi on the transportation page. (grin)

Cap