Why I do not recommend "safaris"

I don't get it... Why don't you reccomend it? Says they have to pass a safety rating. Only negative I saw was the part where they are having a hard time picking up the disabled. It provides much needed transportation and jobs. Am I missing something?

"Wheatley said her office frequently gets complaints from passengers who have fallen out of a safari or were otherwise injured riding on one."

Somebody was killed falling out of one on STJ last year.

It says that the BIG ones are purchased as kits and the passenger area is added later. Usually by someone who doesn't know what they are doing.

When I first saw the article I was very upset, "Skirt Regulation". No Please! I like them short. 😉

Idk... There's a risk in driving your own car too. I'm betting that more people are injured and killed in their own ride. Maybe just me but seems like focuses should be on the crime, getting some great PR for the territory going and getting something figured out with WAPA. IMO safaris are the least of the worries. My .02

They make them too large for our narrow roads, especially around Drakes Seat.

It says that the BIG ones are purchased as kits and the passenger area is added later. Usually by someone who doesn't know what they are doing.

When I first saw the article I was very upset, "Skirt Regulation". No Please! I like them short. 😉

LOL rotorhead. Ditto!

A&A: People think that they are legit public transportation. They are homemade and not really inspected or regulated. Every day I see ones without lights, proper bumpers, etc. I don't know. Between the chickens and the safaris,sometimes the wild west gets to me. 😉

Apparently no new safaris can be licensed and as the existing safaris go out of service, they cannot be replaced.

Personally I find them dangerous, hot and dirty and would rather ride in an air conditioned coach.

A lot of people have no other choice and Safaris are their only means of transportation. There's no doubt they are not ideal, but a lot of people would seriously suffer if they couldn't get around for a dollar or two.

On STX, we have taxi vans that operate the dollar routes (now $2, I think). It's cheap, and much safer than safaris. I don't think that the handful of safaris here do any of the cheap routes.

On STX, we have taxi vans that operate the dollar routes (now $2, I think). It's cheap, and much safer than safaris. I don't think that the handful of safaris here do any of the cheap routes.

Can you provide more info on these $2 routes on STX? I know they must exist because I see folks sharing taxi's but I'm not aware of the routes/times of operation. Very interested in learning more - please elaborate.

I've used the Safaris when in STT and find it a very good way to get around.

Those "safaris" on STT should be outlawed. I would never ride on one. They should be forced to use passenger vans like on STX.

The taxi vans on STX. pretty much run from C'sted to F'sted on Queen Mary Highway. They stay on the main road. I would estimate that they run from about 7am to 7pm, just an estimate.

The NTSB has banned rental car companies from renting the passenger vans as they are top heavy and tend to roll. The said the same about the safaris. Although they banned new safaris I have seen brand new ones on the road. Hopefully one day these things will all be straightened out. Hopefully I say.

Someone could make a mint with powered rickshaws. Not that they are safer, well maybe slightly safer.

They would not need the safari vans if the VI had good reliable, dependable, cost effective, publlic transportation with the types of passenger carrying vehicles that are designed for our roads and environment. Yes, I know. Dream on................!

The taxi vans on STX. pretty much run from C'sted to F'sted on Queen Mary Highway. They stay on the main road. I would estimate that they run from about 7am to 7pm, just an estimate.

So what is the route? From QMH do they run through to Sunny Isle and up Beston hill and down past Basin Triangle, or ...?

Someone could make a mint with powered rickshaws. Not that they are safer, well maybe slightly safer.

The 'dollar ride' safaris are mostly used for getting around the island - the hills would make rickshaws useless, and the safaris carry large groups of passengers efficiently anywhere along the main route from Red Hook to UVI.
It certainly cuts down on car traffic and parking problems and is much more inexpensive than driving a car.
The usefulness of the 'dollar ride' cannot be compared to the Drakes Seat - Magens Bay tourist trucks - but the number of extra taxis it would take to transport that many passengers would really clog up the roads and attractions - it seems to me riding in a closed vehicle and trying to enjoy the views and fresh air is impossible but a safari ride is an enjoyable part of the cruise ship travelers experience.
If they need to be made safer - fine - there are already enough vans that everyone has a choice of transport and island tour styles.

The taxi vans on STX. pretty much run from C'sted to F'sted on Queen Mary Highway. They stay on the main road. I would estimate that they run from about 7am to 7pm, just an estimate.

So what is the route? From QMH do they run through to Sunny Isle and up Beston hill and down past Basin Triangle, or ...?

They stay pretty much on Queen Mary Highway (Centerline Rd).

They travel on King St. and Company St in C'sted, head west to Golden Rock Shopping Center, then back on Queen Mary, does not go up Beeston Hill, stays on Queen Mary through Anna's Hope and Peter's Rest. Runs through Sunny Isles by Office Max. Heads west on Queen Mary. There was a time that they used to venture off Queen Mary and into Grove Place, not sure if that still happens. Stays on Centerline Road into F'sted and goes down King St.

They're full the most Mon-Fri when the high schools are opening and closing (7-8am and 3-4pm).

I know rickshaws would be pointless. But as far as the safaris go, instead of banning them just make them subject to inspection. wouldn't be all that hard. Me thinks *-)

Installing seat belts would be a good first step. Who gets into a car with out buckeling up? The Taxi associations have a strangle hold on STT tourrist economy. Outragous fares, crappy service and unsafe vehicles.

Monopoly and votes wins every time.

My car is required to have a rear brake light at eye level as well as the regular two. Many of the safaris have no working brake lights or two little teeny weeny ones. I would like to see them pulled over and sent for inspection. If they carry people for hire, they should have higher standards than a personal vehicle. Yes, I understand that they are convenient, but they should be safe, too.

Come on. How long have you people lived here? Remember where you are, fer cryin' out loud. A place where it's legal to drink and drive, but not talk and drive. A place where a driver is ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt, but where the six kids riding in the back of an open pickup truck are ignored.

My favorite, and first, safari van experience on STT was in a regular van to which someone had taken a blowtorch and cut out the top and sides to make it an "open air" vehicle. In the back were two ragged leather loveseats bungeed to the sides. LOVED IT!!

Iris: I have been here long enough. The deal with safaris is a pet peeve along with, as other vinow members are surely aware, feral chickens. I am concerned that visitors hear about this "$1 bus" system and think it is legal and safe. Re: drinking and driving, I know people who have been pulled over and told they could not drink and drive. Laws are frequently at the discretion of a person who may not actually know the law.