Milt and I are arriving in MoBay on Wednesday, Feb. 22 and heading for TB that afternoon (around 4 p.m.). Wondering if anyone would like to share the cost of the drive from the airport to Treasure Beach....

I wish !!!

Buck up, Sue and Milt! Transportation isn't really THAT expensive and you'll be supporting a driver's family by paying the full fare. Think about it...

Yeah, but transport ain't that cheap either.

I don't think anyone needs to be guilted into paying more than they should/can.

No kidding. What's wrong with sharing a ride? Not everyone foreigner coming to T/Beach is loaded in cash...that sounds like a stereotype.

I move to live in TB. before when I move there every one was nice soon as I would'nt squander my legacy with them as I had other things to do everyone changed.People stop hating accept one for who they are and not what they have.I did sold my property and move back as living there was becoming uncomfortable.Though I still visit.Those people probably been saving for years just to get a ticket.Foreigners do not have it easy if any one can help those people please do other wise do'nt say anything negative as it might not be good for TB.

sheesh Stefan.....sharing a ride is wrong?? gee...think of the camaraderie....the savings to the environment.....the money that will be spent one way or the other whether it's $100+ US on the fare or less on the fare and more in Billy's Bay.....

like somebody said, a lot of us who come to TB are just ordinary folks. If wishes could come true, we'd be rich enough not to ask if anyone wants to share a ride...but like i said...the money all goes somewhere anyway.

Respect.

Nothing wrong with sharing a ride.Money is hard to come by these days for everyone.I think the hurricanes here in the States and there in Ja has really put a strain on all our pockets.Not everyone coming to the Island has a lot of money to spend.Most people save for a long time to be able to take a vacation.Just make everyone's stay an enjoyable/unforgetable one so they can return and tell thier friends and families about the wonderful fun loving people of the Island and not to be prejudice but TB especially.
Love to all.

There is 'nothing' cheap or wrong in sharing a ride. Let me be the first to welcome you to Treasure Beach.

Hey Sue and Milt, I hope you find a ride-share. I wish I could offer to join you, but I won't be back in TB until late March (more sad me!) ... and don't feel 'cheap' for asking for the share. Lord knows that all of us 'from foreign' aren't loaded. The cost of the transfer is nearly the same as the plane ticket, and that ain't cheap!

El Cheapo i agree with you a 100%. Transportation is not cheap. My brother and i was just talking about this a few hours ago. I am seeing airfares now for $204US plus i have a free ticket i need to use and i was thinking how nice it would be to take weekend trips home but when i think about payng $100US from and to Mobay it not worth it. So then we started wondering how much it would cost to take public transportation and would i be able to handle the journey,because when i was living there i didn't go further than Black River on public transportation and anywhere between Black River and Mobay would be easy for me to get lost.

Sue and Milt hope you find someone to go 50 on transportation.

Southgirl, you are so right. It really adds up !!

Have found the previous remarks very interesting and thought I would add my comments for what they are worth. Whilst I can appreciate that due to the state of the roads in JA, car owners have to replace their vehicles more frequently than maybe in the US/UK. Plus with the rising price of fuel etc. prices have to go up. However, I do feel that there is a very high profit margin involved here. I am aware that the aim/objectives of every business person is to make a profit, but I do feel that if drivers were to cut their prices, they would possibly generate more business from visitors throughout their stay, thus making more money. I have on more than one occasion, on principle, not recruited the services of a driver as I feel that the quoted price has been too high. Now I know people are going to say that I should have haggled with the person(s) concerned, but who wants to haggle when on vacation. One is supposed to be taking a break for goodness sake.

Good on you Sue & Milt for trying to find people to double up with you. I personally think the airport run prices are very expensive and don't forget, one also has to cough up the same amount again to get back to Mo Bay for the flight home!

Stefan, as you feel the price isn't really that expensive, can I count on you to pay for my transportation needs to and from the airport next time I'm visiting TB??

Consider what it would cost where you live outside Jamaica to hire a private car and driver to go 2.5 hours in distance. A private car/driver 1 hour on good roads for door-to-door service might well run about US$125, plus tip, for a straight shot, no stops, no waits. In contrast, TB drivers will wait around for hours for you while you're going through customs and longer, much much longer if your flight is delayed. TB drivers, at no extra charge, will stop with you at supermarkets so you can change money and buy supplies not found in TB , and stop in fact anywhere on route. The meter's not running. TB drivers will do all the above and get US$110,120,125 for driving more than twice the distance on bad roads than their US counterparts. It's expensive, but it's a fair price, without much profit for the driver as time is indeed money.Gas/upkeep/insurance/PPV papers are all expensive on island. If you live in Jamaica, transport, electricity, communications, schooling -- that's where your money goes, whether you have money or not. Recently, there has been much competition
on island and in TB for driving services that has actually pushed the price DOWN in the few past months. Transport on island has always been expensive. The alternative to the run is the prospect of a new airport being built near Black River which will bring its own set of problems, high transport costs not being one of them.

Southgirl... If you didn't have too much luggage, and you have 4-6 hours (depending on the day of the week), you could take public transport to T.B. from Mo Bay. I have done it successfully. But you have to make sure you have both time and patience because it can be hot, cumbersome with all of the starts, stops and transfers of buses (and you have to be prepared to having someone sitting on top of you from time to time). But if you have a good sense of adventure, it is a good way to see how Jamaicans travel on a daily basis, and it is a great way to see the countryside in a way that most tourists don't get a chance. It will still end up costing you in time and money (approx $30.00) and the better part of a day. But it is definitely do-able for a budget traveller.

I think once a person has owned a vehicle in Jamaica, one can appreciate the quoted prices as fair.

Last year I hired a private van to the airport it cost $100 US and this is a 25 minute drive on a road with NO POTHOLES.

Brake pads, tires, shocks, and more are replaced far more frequently in Jamaica. Due to getting caught behind big trucks in the mountains and more, drivers have to leave extra early, and as pointed out above, often have to wait hours when the airport is backed up at customs and immigration.

So a driver is doing at a MINIMUM a 5 hour day, often more. Subtract gas and insurance. Forget about wear and tear... it's VERY reasonable.

I can attest to the fact that charging ANYTHING under $100 US and drivers would definatly be losing money if this were their daily bread.

What is the problem with ride sharing? Sounds like a good idea.

The cost of transport has in fact, prevented some people from coming to Treasure Beach at all, thus everyone from guesthouse to restaraunt owners has lost out. Unfortunatly, not everyone has the courage to ride the public transport or the money to hire a taxi to come.

Who would have thought a ride share request would have generated such a discussion? I think it is good for all to share their sides.

Vikings,

I agree ! People who have been to TB are aware of the distance & road conditions (which are worse than ever as we know).

Any one who owns a vehicle in Jamaica (or knows people with vehicles) knows the expenses involved.
I usually pay one of my freinds (the going rate) for the drive because fair is fair.

Ride sharing is an excellent idea (especially if you are traveling alone).

I don't think the price is unfair--the cost of gas and the wait at the airport alone make it reasonable (last time down, I was stuck in customs for over an hour!) But fair or not, the price is high for someone who doesn't have much money. I think the ride-sharing is a great idea. My first trip down, I was able to share with two great women from Canada who'd been planning to do the bus/taxi public transit ride down. My other trips I've paid the full fare. I budget for it, but it really cuts into what else I'm able to do when I'm in TB--no bike rental last time, for example. When I head back in March, I'll take Sue and Milt's lead and post here for a share!

PLEASE DO NOT DO THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TRAVEL UNLESS YOU ARE USED TO CAMPING AND ROUGHING IT OUTDOORS STYLE. "VERY BAD IDEA".

Like I said, public transportation is fine if you have a sense of humor and a sense of adventure. I am a white, solo-traveller ex-pat who has done it many times with no trouble at all. Just keep your senses about you and don't get suckered into anything stupid like letting "someone come along all the way to be your guide" because you may not be able to shake them when you reach, and they will want payment also. Also, only keep your bags at your feet or on your lap, so you don't have anything missing when you transfer busses or reach T.B. I think it is awful that a "native" would be telling you not to use public transport. That is what it is for - the "public"... and that is about the only way a lot of people can see the whole island if they are on a budget. I have seen a ton of people come through T.B. over the years when I lived there full time who were using "public transit" to travel the island - who could actually afford to hire a driver to do this for three-four weeks??? A student wanting to experience Jamaica... I doubt it!

I agree with 'local transit'. I took public for years. It gets you where you need to go, costs little, and really hooks you into a unique part of the culture.

Know what you're in for (cramped seating, fast driving, lots of stops) and you'll do OK.

-Eric

Sue& Milt, What a good idea to share a ride !! !

Where I come from, we even have an agency that can help you find someone to share a ride to many cities all over the country. University students founded it many years ago, because many of them are forced to live on a very low budget.

And in the cities we even have car-sharing co-operatives, a very good idea , because expenses for cars , espec. petrol have always been VERY MUCH higher than e.g. in the States

Let us put the share-a-ride to rest and let people do as they wish. For me I would very much try to save that money in advance so i can have my private car pick me up.Taxies pack you in like sardines and public buses take you to places where you might not be able to get a connection to TB for hours "or if at all".Sometimes the cheapest becomes the most expensive.
Think about it.Whatever way you look at it you want to get to your destination without travelling all day and someone is going to make a salary for the day and that's all that counts.

I just wanted to chime in and say that if anyone is looking for a rideshare on Feb 24 at 4 PM to TB (sorry we miss you by just 2 days Sue and Milt!) then please be in touch - we're looking forward to our first trip to TB and are on a very limited budget, I can totally appreciate paying the driver well, but if we can save some $ by a ride share to or from the airport, then we'll have $ for one other excursion while we are in TB... and that $ would then go to another local driver!