On the Subject of Taxis....

[Lola]

"Saying as we foreigners normally would No or No thanks-is taken as a slight by some drivers"
That has never been my experience.

To CLARIFY, my comments about this are NOT about taxis that beep or pull up as a person is walking along (similar to vendors asking you to buy a bracelet etc). In that case I shake my head or a horizontal wave with my hand. The situation I am referring to is when a person is on the road, and WANTS a taxi to stop for them. But a white plate pulls up first, and you know you don't want that. Or a red plate pulls up but something doesn't look or feel right about the situation.

[Bnewb]

No offence Lola...but you're getting messages/information that you don't seem to be understanding & you're really over thinking this whole thing.
I could give you many other tidbits for someone that stays for a very long term or for someone new that has just moved here...but the reality of me taking a route taxi as someone who lives here, is different than the person who is visiting short term. I find your information confusing & unnecessary for the average tourist.
And, before you think it...yes, we do have a car but I'm still a woman in Negril that takes taxis & Rob took taxis daily for 18 years.

This doesn't need to be more complicated than it already appears.

[Rob]

To CLARIFY, my comments about this are NOT about taxis that beep or pull up as a person is walking along (similar to vendors asking you to buy a bracelet etc). In that case I shake my head or a horizontal wave with my hand. The situation I am referring to is when a person is on the road, and WANTS a taxi to stop for them. But a white plate pulls up first, and you know you don't want that. Or a red plate pulls up but something doesn't look or feel right about the situation.

And in this instance, for a visitor to the island to say "no thanks" will not be taken as a slight. There is no need to over think such a simple concept. If you dont want to get in that particular red plate for any reason - that is your right! There is no need to explain anything. A simple "no thanks" will suffice in every single case.

And there is never any reason to get into a white plate illegal taxi. A "no thanks" will work just fine - no need to get into any detailed explanation with the driver - just say "no thanks". If they get angry at you, so what? They are an illegal taxi and you are not under obligation to use their services. Chances are anything you would say would make them angry - so a simple "no thanks" will work just as well as anything else. As the saying goes, you cant fix stupid.

[Accompong]

I agree on the white plate/red plate taxi option as a tourist shouldn't even consider a white plate and a "no thanks" is the best discussion ender.

I would like to add that where I live in Accompong Town (in the bush), there sometimes isn't a red plate option. If you want to go to Maggotty or Santa Cruz you have to take what you can get and that often is a white plate "personally owned" vehicle or you just can't get there at all.

When there is a red plate taxi I use it every time but sometimes it just can't be helped when you live off the beaten path.

Peace and Guidance

[rodneyruxin]

Great thread, very informative.

Going to Jamaica with 3 others soon and we'll all be kindly abiding by the red plate rules. We've already reached out to several local taxi options transporting us from the Airport to Hotel, i think its down to Clive's and Gerry's...

hopefully we find one we can stick with and use the whole time

[CarrieBean]

Sorry, but I missed it and I'm a bit lost. Rob, could you please explain again about how "the impact that visitors using route taxis has on the public transportation system in Negril"...Or direct me to the thread. We're always there in high season and there are always so many empty red plates going by, and I'm not getting how it can be a bad thing for any of the red plates and/or locals. I could see if every tourist there is using the route taxi system, but that will never be the case. The majority I would think, wouldn't be comfortable with it.

[smith744]

After many discussions with residents here, I am retracting my original statement about "go ahead and use route taxis" on a regular basis. Too many tourists using this system does indeed impact Jamaicans going to and from work.

lol
oh really..!!!..???

i'd like to hear/read HOW it's impacting,
'cause i'm having a VERY-hard time imagine-ing this being the case

mi-thinks some somebodys are pulling your leg(s)

the only-way i can see a negative(?) impact,
is that the charter-taxi and the other tour-taxi operators are complaining because they might be impacted a little by folks not using their hyper-inflated (price-wise) psuedo-limo services.

over the years the ONLY complaint i've ever heard, is from charter & tour taxi men who hate the fact that more & more tourist KNOW and are aware of the route-taxi system. They want the foriegner/tourist-folks to no-know:::: i.e., ignorance is bli$$ (for them, the taxi-folks)

from my about-20-years of riding route-taxis around Negril, i see no-way that foreigners/tourist using the system will do-harm to folks going back & forth to work.

NO way....!!!!....

for example,
some mentioned not ride-ing during *peak*-periods
lol
lol
lol
WHEN is that..???...
do tell
lol
lol
lol

let's *ass-sume* the first-shift rush-hour peak period is in the morning
....my observations is/are that there ain't NO-tourist riding route-taxis at 5, 6, 7, 8 AM in the morning

additionally,
let's *ass-sume* that the next peak-period is sometime around 4, 5, or 6 PM.
....here-again,
AIN'T that many tourists riding route-taxis (or any taxis)
....because::::>>> my observation(s) have been that after 4-PM all the tourists seem to disappear.... because they're burned-out and recoup-ing from daytime fun-time, and getting ready for dinner.

plus, since the sun goes down about 5:30 PM-ish,
most foreigner/tourists are too-scared (un-necessarily so) to venture-out after dark

IF:::>> as suggested by your post:::>> there're so sooooooooooooo-many tourists riding route-taxis, there'd be MORE-route taxis put into service to run up & down the beach & cliff roads on the Beach-Route and the WestEnd-Route ..... there's no way the Negril-taxi industry is going to let that money (from tourists AND Negril-workers) get away from them::::: they'd be SURE to have enough route-taxis to handle the demand/need.

again::::>>> i wanna hear/read more of what those resident-folks told you, please please please

were those *residents* residing in Negril..??..
were those *residents* ex-pats with skin in the taxi-game..??..
do those *residents* have ties to the tour/charter-taxi-game..??..
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p.s. ----- my observation/experience has been that a lot of ex-pats, or folks who spend a lot of time in Negril, get sucked-up into the *game*, and too-frequently skew the information to enhance the profits of the Negril tourist industry.

no biggie
i understand where *they* coming from & why they skew
my stylee is to:::::>>> ALL-ways consider the source when you read & ponder & consider the information provided.

[smith744]

Rob, could you please explain again about how "the impact that visitors using route taxis has on the public transportation system in Negril"....

ditto

'cause all i *see* is a positive impact for all concerned.

if there's some negative-impact,
i too would looooooooooooooove to hear/read about it.

[suzengrace]

Amen to Smith744...

[suzengrace]

.
.
.
p.s. ----- my observation/experience has been that a lot of ex-pats, or folks who spend a lot of time in Negril, get sucked-up into the *game*, and too-frequently skew the information to enhance the profits of the Negril tourist industry.

no biggie
i understand where *they* coming from & why they skew
my stylee is to:::::>>> ALL-ways consider the source when you read & ponder & consider the information provided.[/QUOTE]


I concur.....