Here Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruises will give a little advice about how to book a trip in Ocho Rios by taxi.
Map of Ocho Rios, showing Mahogany Beach where you can sail on a boat trip with Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruises. Google Maps
Well, our first advice is, if you need to move around in Jamaica by taxi, you should book one through your hotel or the place you are staying.
Another of our tips, which is valid for wherever you find yourself in the world is … Always make sure the taxi driver knows where you want to go and you know how much you will be expected to pay in advance.
How to find a taxi in Ocho Rios
There are a few ways that Jamaicans get around. So we will explain a little about how to recognize a legitimate taxi, one with all the right insurance.
It is most important to look for the RED license plate with the white letters. The number usually starts with a P, which indicates the vehicle is licensed and insured to carry passengers.
Photo of Turtle Beach, Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruises advises you to always use an official taxi when booking a trip in Jamaica during your stay.
Types of Taxi
Ok, there are a couple of types of taxi. The number plates are always red and the number always starts with a P.
For the Charter taxi, or tourist taxi, they will take you wherever you want to go, and yes, always negotiate the cost of your trip going and returning. You will want the taxi to wait for you while you make your visit, so make sure you know how much they will want to sit around.
With the official ‘tourist’ taxi, you will probably have to pay in United States dollars for the trip.
With the other kind of taxi, which is called a Route taxi, you will find the destination written on the side of the vehicle, which may be a minibus. The taxi may stop often to pick people up and drop them off.
Even if the price of the trip is set by law, it is always a good idea for both driver and passenger to make sure that each knows the distance the passenger or passengers want to travel and how much they will be expected to pay. The payment is in Jamaican dollars and you will need to pay for each person in your group.
Photo of Dunn’s River Falls by D. Ramey Logan via Wiki Commons. You can always get there on a Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruise!
Another option for booking a trip in Jamaica, is you can hire a driver through the hotel, or resort that you are staying.. The cost of the driver will be their fee, plus the hire of the car and the mandatory insurance.
Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruises would also like to explain why booking a trip in Jamaica in our taxis may seem pricey.
Remember that in Jamaica we don’t make cars and we also drive on the left. These two facts mean that we pay more to import a car because the right-hand drive cars need to be imported from some place like England. Add to this the cost of spare parts that have to be imported from abroad, or as we say ‘fram foreign’. Also, we need to import all the gas or petrol we put into a taxi to make it run. All this adds to the cost of a taxi trip on our island.
All legal taxi drivers have to take a test through the Jamaica Ministry of Transport and they must certify their vehicles. If they transport tourists they must be licensed through the Jamaican Tourist Board.
As before, take care when booking a taxi and make sure you do so through your hotel, or that the license plate is red with the initial P on the number plate.
