duckaneer

What do you mean turned over and are you speaking of the Buccaneer?

On Saint Thomas - there is an amphibious bus / boat monster that gives tours of the harbour. I hope it turned over on land rather than water and I hope more that noone is hurt.

Duckaneer photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/svdelphinus/2521025873/

I haven't heard about it capsizing, but I'm not exactly "in the loop."

I thought they pulled it off the water?

Pamela

Heard the sirens going like crazy. Don't know anything hoping no one got hurt.

"July 1, 2009 – A minor miracle occurred Wednesday afternoon when the Duckaneer, an amphibian tour bus carrying 48 cruise ship passengers and two crew, ran off the road Wednesday afternoon careening down the hill over Emerald Beach Resort. When it finally came to rest on a generator house on the property, there were no fatalities. The passengers were from the cruise ship Freedom of the Seas at the West Indian Co. dock..."

The full story can be found here: http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1243830070

Deesahwn,hired from the VI Taxi Assosiation was spotted sneaking away with a large wooden wedge saying something to the effect of "another white man water taxi dem down"!

dun, i think that post was uncalled for.

I concur

ditto

I guess I should be happy that I don't understand DUN's post! 😀

lol @ dntw8up - it has to do with the duckaneer's being cited for operating as a "water taxi" by picking up paying passengers since they are only licensed and authorized to conduct tours.

pasting from a v.i. daily news online article here:
http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17634245 and
http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17633491 is the actual story filed back in february.

After a sting operation in February, the V.I. Taxicab Commission and Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs issued a total of $3,000 in citations to the company for operating outside the scope of its business license.

DLCA Commissioner Kenrick Robertson said the company is licensed to carry prepaid tour passengers from the cruise lines but is not licensed to solicit ticket sales or allow passengers to purchase tickets on board. In the sting operation, plainclothes enforcement officers from the Taxicab Commission found that people were allowed to board a vessel without prepaid tickets and pay cash for their tour.

--- editing to add a link to the Source article as well: http://www.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1223615559

Thanks Anita. I knew about the water taxi, but didn't make the connection between that and a "wooden wedge" and a "white man" 😛

in my view, the remark jokes about possible sabotage of the duckaneer, in order to keep the "white man" out of the water taxi business. there is longstanding animosity over this issue - not sure if dun knows any of the players or how they feel, but to toss that comment out there, in a mixed crowd, is not fair.

A Davis, you have an acute understanding of the afore mentioned joke,& the issues,you hit the nail on the head!
Even if we don`t agree, I`m sorry I always speak my mind & this is what we have differences with.
In either case, Kudos to you, well done!

Unfortunately, there will never be a water taxi on St. Thomas(White,Black or otherwise, the VI taxi association will always see to that!)
The VITA who members pay little or no income tax,but have enormous political power here will keep it that way.

Welcome to St. Traffic,one of the hardest islands to get around, enjoy your traffic,um,visit here!

This taxi nonsense is crippling our tourist product! And for what? 2000 tax evaders?

That is a better way to state your case, DUN.

thanks dun for expanding on your point.

some disclosure here: i work for a company that retains wheatley taxi & tours as its preferred provider of ground transportation services. this arrangement was in place for many years before i arrived. more disclosure: they continue to provide this service for us because they are courteous, punctual, diplomatic and service-oriented. they go above and beyond, and they receive high praises from our guests all the time. they also take "local" jobs, which some taxi drivers don't do.

for those who don't know, the v.i. taxi association does not represent the entire taxicab industry - that is simply the name of their company. there are many more such companies, such as islander, east end, wheatley, etc... and speaking of wheatley... judy wheatley (who has handed over the day-to-day for her company to senior drivers, as she is now the head of the taxicab commission) goes out of her way to help clean up the image of taxi drivers. there is currently no "umbrella" organization that speaks for the entire industry. i've heard of something called "taxis in unity" that is trying... and, in conjunction with the vipd, judy wheatley was directly responsible for apprehending a taxi driver who brandished a gun at someone in traffic, as well as the duckaneer sting. the gun incident was mentioned on this board some time ago.

'nuther thing: virgin islands taxi drivers don't deserve to all be referred to as "tax evaders" any more than anyone else who works for him or herself. i feel that the entire industry is coping with the bad impressions left by a few.

you are entitled to your sentiments dun, but i provide these further details for those looking on.

in my view, the remark jokes about possible sabotage of the buccaneer, in order to keep the "white man" out of the water taxi business. there is longstanding animosity over this issue - not sure if dun knows any of the players or how they feel, but to toss that comment out there, in a mixed crowd, is not fair.

Since you propose in your response to be well versed in these taxi matters, (and have given several examples to the rest of us,to enlighten,myself & those who don`t have the knowledge you do in these matters), to stay on the topic to which you retorted as someone with knowledge in these affairs,ask(and I`m sure I`m not alone here):
1: How many taxi medallions are there in St. Thomas?
2: How many people have ownership of those medallions?
3:How much are these Medallions rented/leased for?
4:How much did they cost the people who own them?
5: Why are locally run/operated business such as Serenity tours(and other non medallion locally run/operated operations)allowed to do business in the USVI w/o the "Taxi Commission" shutting them down?
6:Why doesn`t the VIPD enforce parking & operating laws to our taxis?
7:Why are they above the law?

OK, A Davis, you have explained & presented the "players" well!
To reiterate,
Can you please(with the same detail & assertion)...Explain how "they(I.E.the Taxi Commission,or the taxi operators,Erm, medallion holders) "Feel" regarding water taxis operating here from whites,blacks or anybody else???
I await this particular answer with great anticipation,
To you...

dear dun,

just as you spoke your mind, i spoke mine. i do not know all of the factoids you request, but they are available from the proper regulating authority, and i suggest that if it's really that important to you, that you seek them out for answers.

Maybe a little off the thread above but I love Wheatly Taxi. I have used them for several years to squire my yacht guests around when needed and always offer them to guests. They have been unfailingly polite, timely and cost effective. Can't say that about a lot of companies on this island!

Pamela

"lol @ dntw8up - it has to do with the duckaneer's being cited for operating as a "water taxi" by picking up paying passengers since they are only licensed and authorized to conduct tours."

STTResident asked me to post the following:

"It wasn't the Duckaneer which was cited for being a water taxi, it was Steve Vasaturo's pirate harbor tour which has since gone out of business. I know nothing much about Duckaneer but prefer not to see a local business mistakenly confused with another, especially when it comes to something like this."

thanks stt resident, for some reason i thought they were one and the same. that's what i like about this board. i sit corrected, and thanks dntw8up for posting.

So,the answer to "how they feel" is,I don`t know,look it up!
Useless!
It would be easy to mistake them for one in the same(there are similarities,i wonder what they are)???

relax your spirit.