Thanks Rob for the links. It is good to have the facts as there is a lot of disinformation swirling around concerning how much Jamaican workers earn. It seems to me that what I thought I knew when I was traveling to Jamaica for a vacation and what I now know firsthand from living here that has given me a greater appreciation for the complexity of everyday struggling to survive.
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.
When I travel I usually use the JUTA bus, Route Taxi or have a neighbor friend pick me up as I can't frankly afford to spend my living in Jamaica budget in ways other than necessities like current, food, etc. as when you have a small amount to spend you make due with less. But, even as little as I have to spend, it is vastly more than those I live around have to spend as "life is no easy in Jamaica".
If I am traveling in a group (more than one person) then taking a private taxi like Clives etc. starts to make more economical sense as having the freedom to stop where and when one wants to and the one on one relationship with the driver is priceless. In both examples, the money that the driver actually makes is a small fraction of what you spend. The people who own the buses, vans and cars have a lot of overhead with the cost of petrol, insurance, etc. and after they make their small, little is left to pay the driver.
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.
If you want to travel on the cheap, expect to pay in other ways. If you are a frequent visitor to Jamaica and you are still taking JUTA buses then you aren't making many friends among the driving community. Saving money has its place to a certain point. Your vacation should be an enjoyable interaction with the Jamaican people at all levels from the time you arrive until the time you sadly have to leave.
Spending time fussing over a warm $5 Red Stripe seems like a not so "Irie" way of spending your time in Jamaica.
Just (again) my personal opinion.
Peace and Guidance
