Mopeds in St. Thomas

You can buy scooters and motorcycles. I may have seen recreational mopeds, but don't think they perform well in the hills.

Thank you! I guess I didn't know there was even a difference between a moped and a scooter. Any dealerships you recommend or a place to search online? Craigslist does not seem to be the way to go to search for things...

Thank you again!

If you're contemplating using a moped for general transportation around the island, I suggest you (a) make sure your life insurance premiums are paid up, (b) have excellent health care coverage and (c) take out a policy with MASA for emergency medical air transport services. I'm not joking. (td)

I have to concur with OT - her advice is spot on...I am afraid that on an underpowered moped, your life expectancy might not be too long. St Thomas is just not suitable for this mode of transportation.

I'm not even sure mopeds are legal on the roads here. Motorcycles and scooters, yes, but I don't think mopeds are listed in the VI Drivers' Manual.

Most of the motorcycles and scooters are sold via our daily newspaper, the Virgin Islands Daily News. Their Island Trader, which lists items for sale, and rental properties, comes out on Thursday and is published online, though I'm not sure if it's always up on Thur.

You may even find some in the clasified section of this site.

St. Thomas is not suitable for any kind of transportation, let alone something with only 2 wheels.

St. Thomas is not suitable for any kind of transportation, let alone something with only 2 wheels.

A resident for all of almost six months and I can tell from your always positive posts that you really, really like it here!

I do like it here......I just don't sugar coat it, I tell it like it is.

This Island isn't for every personality, but using terms like "Island Time" or "Laid Back" is just nicer ways of saying "Lack of commom sense" and "Lazy".......

I do like it here......I just don't sugar coat it, I tell it like it is.

This Island isn't for every personality, but using terms like "Island Time" or "Laid Back" is just nicer ways of saying "Lack of commom sense" and "Lazy".......

With all due respect I couldn't disagree more with such a sweeping analogy. I've never subscribed to anyone using "island Time" as an excuse for poor service or tardiness in general. For example, I've no patience with a service person who says they'll show up at a certain hour and then doesn't, without even a simple 'phone call to explain the hold-up. That has nothing to with "Island Time" but has to do with common sense business practices. By the same token, if you have a glaring Type A personality and think that a snap of the fingers and a "do this NOW!" attitude will see your needs attended to then the islands are not the place for you to even think of moving to. The service people here will resent you as much as do those indentured service people back home.

Before you start "telling it like it is" you might be better advised to better understand how it is because this isn't Kansas and it isn't strip-mall USA.

Just wondering if there is a place to buy mopeds on St. Thomas, I'm having a hard time goggling it.

I've heard how bad the roads are too but I don't know if it helps to know that I'm from CO, the land of steep one lane dirt mountain roads which are covered in ice and snow most of the year. So if the roads in St. Thomas compare to that then I am probably looking to buy a car rather than a moped...

Thanks in advance for the help!

As a firm believer in sugar-free opinions, here's my $0.02:
Most road in VI are paved. Grass, bush, trash grows tall along the shoulder. Frequent, unexpected, moon-size craters are everywhere. The roads on STT suck. STX is better. STJ, the best of three, is still very bad (except in the park). The terrain is hilly but mild compare to CO. Hills are short. A cheep 2wd car will be just fine. If you know how to drive (use low gear, turn-off A/C on hills) a 4wd is over kill. You will definitely feel safer in car with locking doors and trunk no matter which island you choose. Bikes (the pedaling and motorized kind) are more popular on STX.

The "island time" thing is a common excuse for rude and/or poor service.

Thank you everyone for the advice and giving it to me real 🙂
I definitely did not know that there was a difference between mopeds or scooters but I am taking all of this into consideration and have added a vehicle cost to my budget even if it is a 2 wheel drive. I am very use to not using AC up hills and driving in a lower gear (in fact had to do that the other day down a hill because of the stupid snow!).
From what it sounds like, even walking around might be a little dangerous off the main area?

Thank you for also mentioning "island time." I was wondering if the attitude was anything like Hawaii's. Which sometimes I love and other days when I want to get stuff done, I can really hate (especially when dealing with my family). Just gotta go with the flow 😎

Quote:
"The service people here will resent you as much as do those indentured service people back home."
And I am a service person along with the rest of my "family" that is moving here. We hope our attitude and how we treat others will really help us fit in and call wherever in VI our home 😉

Thank you all again! I appreciate all comments

STX is the most walker/bike friendly of the 3 Virgin Islands (Water Island isn't one that most people consider, so I'm skipping that one).

You should definitely budget for a vehicle, because if you go to the beach or grocery store, you're going to need a place to store things. Someone I know has a scooter/motorcycle, and he's always concerned about it being stolen so he keeps it in his house when he's not riding it. Guess that's why I've never seen a morotorcycle/scooter at the beach unless it's one of the bike clubs on an outing to Brewers.

Here's my take on the service here. Very few of the owners/managers give their front-line employees much latitude when it comes to serving a customer. For example, I was in McDonald's the other day, and they had new menu signs and the PRICES HAD BEEN LOWERED! I was so excited, because now I could save $1 on the breakfast I normally order. Well, the prices in the computer hadn't been changed to reflect the prices on the signs (or the signs could have been printed with incorrect prices!), so the person at the register had to charge me the price in the computer.

Now according to US Consumer Protection laws, the customer has to be charged whatever the lowest posted price for that item is, but in this case, the employee couldn't because he/she couldn't override the computer's price. The employee even acknowledge the price differences, but was powerless to do anything but charge me the computer's price. So, I just paid the usual price instead of saving a $1 that day, and was happy to be in and out in just a few minutes. Someone new to the island may have insisted on getting the new-sign price and would have caused considerable distress to everybody in that McDonald's. You have to pick your battles, and you have to have a strategic plan on how to win them.

Oh! Another customer service pet peeve of mine (while I'm on the subject!). Very few owners/managers educate their workers about the restaurant/store's offerings so the employees know NOTHING about the product. You ask a question and the employee can't tell you one thing about the item except for the price. Several times I have actually said, "what good are you if you can't answer a question?"

Again, it's a reflection of management and their lack of training for their employees. The people on the front-line only reflect the managers or owners of the establishment who set the customer-service standard.

For VI government customer service on STT, I usually use one of the "concierge" services like Stephanie Scott-Williams "I'll Do It For You." I'd rather pay her a small fee so that I don't have to leave work to do whatever. It's just so much easier, and usually cheaper, to let them or someone else deal with it.

For example, I was in McDonald's the other day ...

Well, HECK, it is McDonald's, after all! Perhaps you might have a better experience patronizing locally owned and operated businesses.

Thanks again for the comments!
I think that no matter where one ends up in life, someone will always suck at their job. I've been in the customer service industry for a long time and some people just don't care to give their customer's the best service or learn about their job. Eventually, if the business cares about a profit, they'll fire the person. Although, my boyfriend works for a big sporting good store and they still won't fire the incompetent ones. Living in a college town, most of the employees are either drunk or stoned so I've also had to deal with that but I suppose that's life...
Thanks for the info on the different islands and driving! I think we have changed our plan a little bit so that we'll rent a 4WD for a week while we look for other modes of transportation. I'm also use to locking up stuff in Boulder especially bikes (the non-motorized kind). We have a lot of homeless people and crazy college kids here who really like to steal stuff. So if we do end up with a scooter (not a moped 😉 ) then I'll be sure to lock it up.
THANKS AGAIN!!!

Sometimes you can open yourself up to liability if you straight out fire someone, no matter what you think of their job performance.

I'm not even sure mopeds are legal on the roads here. Motorcycles and scooters, yes, but I don't think mopeds are listed in the VI Drivers' Manual.

I'm pretty sure the VI Driver's Manual still talks about "left turns". NOT your most credible source of information.

But it's what they use, so as long as you refer to it, you should be able to make your case. I always carry copies of the requirered documents when I go to a governement agency. Even in the States, you need to have concrete ammunition of your case.

For example, I was in McDonald's the other day ...

Well, HECK, it is McDonald's, after all! Perhaps you might have a better experience patronizing locally owned and operated businesses.

McDonalds is a franchise operation but the stores are nonetheless locally owned and operated ...

You can buy a scooter at Warfside Village on St John....Used...about $1200. Forgot the name of the company, call Warfside for a phone number, or just go there.....they have several....they also service them.

... have added a vehicle cost to my budget even if it is a 2 wheel drive.

No worries about 2WD on STT. In close to three decades here and driving all over the island I've only ever owned one 4WD vehicle and never used the option!

... have added a vehicle cost to my budget even if it is a 2 wheel drive.

No worries about 2WD on STT. In close to three decades here and driving all over the island I've only ever owned one 4WD vehicle and never used the option!

Yeah I agree - I lived on STT for almost 10 years and never needed 4wd...