Hille,
As I have stated, the route taxi system was designed with the local populace in mind in areas where mass transit (large bus routes) simply were not an option. By law, they are not allowed to discriminate on who they pick up, so anyone is allowed to use them, but they were created with the locals in mind. They have to pick you up by law, but that does not mean that it was meant for you specifically.
As children, Jamaicans are taught by their family and teachers on how the system works and what to watch out for and what to do when things dont seem right. They then learn through years of daily usage the do's and dont's of using the route taxi system.
The easy to read "Visitors Guide" of safely getting around Jamaica would simply be to use the system that was specifically designed with tourists in mind, and that started with JUTA. Since then, there have been many other associations set up to serve the needs of our visitors. They are trained and certified by the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Jamaica is not Minnesota. It is not the USA. Most Jamaicans dont own cars and in the rural areas the route taxi system is their only option to get around. To compare the USA mass transit system to Kingston's mass transit system would be a fair comparison, you stand at the bust stop and jump on the next bus.
But to compare Negril's rural route taxi system to Minnesota's mass transit is not in any way a remotely fair comparison.
You can go ahead and use the system, it is illegal to stop you. But as Hussyband has pointed out by learning, yes LEARNING the hard way, even the most experienced travelers can get into bad situations.
It is up to you how much your safety means to you. If two dollars is too much, so be it. But you cannot say that you were not warned in advance if something bad happens...
