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We are going to spend a few days on St. Thomas (after 9 days in St. John) before returning home. We were thinking about turning in our rental car to save some money and just using a taxi. Do taxis carry booster seats for kids? We have a five year old. If they just have lap belts in the back seat it doesn't matter but shoulder belts would be pretty dangerous. Not sure what the law is over there as far as booster seats go. Maybe the laws don't apply to taxis?
The taxi's in St. Thomas are not like taxi cabs in America or Europe. They are more like "jitney buses." Generally, they are pickup trucks or half-ton trucks converted into small, open-air buses. There are benches for the passengers. I don't recall if they have seat belts.
We took our four kids on them in St. Thomas. Our youngest was 3 at the time. We were a bit nervous at first, but it was fine. The kids loved it.
Hello,
As mentioned by JP most of the taxis are safaris (converted trucks, open air, benches with no seatbelts). There are however closed taxi vans that have regular seats with seatbelts. So if you want your child buckled in then you can ask drivers what they drive and specify you want a van not a safari and do the same when getting the front desk at the hotel to call cabs for you. Wearing seatbelts is the law here. Not sure what exceptions are made for taxis concerning car seats and seat belts.
--Islander
Dale wrote:
> We are going to spend a few days on St. Thomas (after 9 days in
> St. John) before returning home. We were thinking about
> turning in our rental car to save some money and just using a
> taxi.
Dale,
I don't know what kind of plans you have for excursions while spending a few days on St. Thomas, but do keep in mind that taxis charge per person. I'm not sure if a 5 year old would pay an additional full fare or not. If you do have plans for leaving wherever it is you will be staying, it just may be cheaper to keep the rental car.
Gerie
Thanks for the input. I'm not sure what taxis cost but our jeep will be around $60/day. I guess we could turn it in for a cheaper rental car when we get to St. Thomas. Is St. Thomas an easier place to get around (less steep hills) than St. John?
Hello Dale,
You can see the taxi rate sheet on this site. Go to the top of this page, click on St. Thomas and from the drop down menu select transportation. On that page is a section about taxis and links to rates. You can look at your hotel and the places you want to go and figure out cost.
St. Thomas is just as hilly and bigger.
--Islander
