Pathetic Taxi Service?

I have been told by tourists that the taxi men tell cruise ship passengers in STX that it was illegal to walk on the roads (they wanted to walk to Rainbow beach from the ship). i gave the tourists a ride back to the ship.

Honestly, I wouldn't trust Uber or Lyft in the VI.  First off, it'd be horribly run, like just about everything else here, complete with late/missed pick ups and spotty service.  Second, and more importantly, it would be downright dangerous.  Would you trust getting into a private car onisland driven by a local you didn't know?  Me neither.

Posted by: NugBlazer

Honestly, I wouldn't trust Uber or Lyft in the VI.  First off, it'd be horribly run, like just about everything else here, complete with late/missed pick ups and spotty service.  Second, and more importantly, it would be downright dangerous.  Would you trust getting into a private car onisland driven by a local you didn't know?  Me neither.

Have you ever used them before? If so, what do you think would be different than using them on the mainland? 

Posted by: NugBlazer

Honestly, I wouldn't trust Uber or Lyft in the VI.  First off, it'd be horribly run, like just about everything else here, complete with late/missed pick ups and spotty service.  Second, and more importantly, it would be downright dangerous.  Would you trust getting into a private car onisland driven by a local you didn't know?  Me neither.

That's just nonsense, NugBlazer. Usually your posts are sensible.

Posted by: NugBlazer

Honestly, I wouldn't trust Uber or Lyft in the VI.  First off, it'd be horribly run, like just about everything else here, complete with late/missed pick ups and spotty service.  Second, and more importantly, it would be downright dangerous.  Would you trust getting into a private car onisland driven by a local you didn't know?  Me neither.

by a local?? btw, i thought uber and lyft were regulated 

Testimony by Mr. Patrick Farrell in the next story in that same issue of The Source - "Senate Moves Bills for Veterans..." - confirms one source of the problem.  We all want military veterans to prosper but allowing them to sell taxi medallions to non-veterans would seem to perpetuate poor taxi service. 

pt42

“Trust A local I didn’t know?”

I don’t know the local taxi drivers. 

Let’s be honest, a good percentage of the vans the taxi drivers use are dirty, bug infested, and mechanical/electrical nightmares, driven far beyond what they were ever designed for. Drivers of these same vehicles are usually in a similar condition. Personal hygiene is nonexistent and they’re physically incapable of lifting luggage. Some aren’t even willing to get out of their front seat to open doors.

I used to look over the drivers shoulder and check mileage all the time. Rarely did you see less than 200,000 on an odometer. God only knows how many miles some of the drivers had.

The local taxi commission is their own worst enemy. If the don’t begin to enforce standards for their drivers and their vehicles, they’ll loose their monopoly. 

https://stthomassource.com/content/2019/05/02/analysis-part-2-taxi-lobby-wields-outsized-influence-over-v-i/

Unless you're getting delivered to a hotel or the ferry, taking a tour, taxis here are useless.

Try getting one to come to your house or take you anywhere much less with a dog!

There is no regular taxi service for us.

Safaris are oversized for our roads, taxi vans won't venture off the beaten track and there is no bus service for the North and South sides of STT.

Things must change.

We're always being held hostage. First by WAPA and the so called Taxi Association has called the shots for decades because senators don't want to lose their votes.

Bah!

Uber and Lyft are apps that serve as platforms matching passengers with drivers, and passengers are prompted to rate each ride through the app. So if a driver provides poor service, they receive low ratings and are eventually banned. Uber and Lyft have a global brand reputation to maintain, which they are serious about. This is why Uber and Lyft generally have a higher, more consistent level of service than a random taxi company (outside of NYC and perhaps a few other major cities). The driver's picture is part of their profile, which prevents one driver using another driver's account.

Probably one potential impediment would be the inconsistent cellular data service on the island.

The government will allow Uber and Lyft when they need the money. The pain is not great enough yet.

Posted by: vicanuck

The government will allow Uber and Lyft when they need the money. The pain is not great enough yet.

Why there is no Uber/Lyft in VI

1. Population is too low

2. Residential addresses are unclear so Google maps doesn't work like it does in other places

3. Taxi Association's strong lobby

Gator's, I think you hit a nail on the head with #2. The driver's may know where they are going but how would the app tell them where the ride is or know how much to charge for the ride if the app can't pinpoint an address? 

BTW, how long has the USVI been saying it is going to update addresses for modern 911 service? 

I still don’t know the “official” name of the private dirt road I live on...

I don't know if the road I'm on even has a name.  My address is just a number in La Grande Princess as so many are, no street name used, but USPS delivers to my mailbox.

real addresses won't happen for one reason. "That's how they are in the states" That's a killer for anything here no matter how logical it is

Ha, ha! We had to take a taxi from the airport. The guy nearly killed us speeding down the waterfront, tailgating, changing lanes quickly, etc. I looked over to check his speedometer. It was covered with a piece of paper. On top of that, he was playing loud rap music. ? 

You can't make this stuff up.

Due to poor taxi service around the city, most of the people now use uber to commute around, because they had a robust network of verified drivers.

Many in the VI would use Uber too...if we could.

The Uber & Lyft apps require accurate addresses to send drivers to. The driver may know where it is, but the app won't be able to find it & put in a correct ride charge! 

Ha, Ha, Google maps certainly can't find most things.  Even locations with addresses it  often wont place on the map in the correct location.