By Taxi in U.S. Virgin Islands

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By Taxi

USVI taxis don't have meters, but you needn't worry about fare gouging if you check a list of standard rates to popular destinations (required by law to be carried by each driver and often posted in hotel and airport lobbies and printed in free tourist periodicals, such as St. Thomas-St. John This Week and St. Croix This Week) and settle on the fare before you start out. Fares are per person, not per destination, but drivers taking multiple fares (which often happens, especially from the airport) will charge you a lower rate than if you're in the cab alone.

St. Thomas

On St. Thomas, taxi vans line up along Havensight and Crown Bay docks when a cruise ship pulls in. If you booked a shore tour, the operator will lead you to a designated vehicle. Otherwise, there are plenty of air-conditioned vans and open-air safari buses to take you to Charlotte Amalie or the beach. The cab fare from Havensight to Charlotte Amalie is $6 if you ride alone or $5 per person if you share a cab; you can, however, make the 1 1/2-mi (2 1/2-km) walk into town in about 30 minutes along the beautiful waterfront. From Crown Bay to town the taxi fare is $5, or $4 per person if you share; it's a 1-mi (1 1/2-km) walk, but the route passes along a busy highway, so it's not advisable. Transportation from Havensight to Magens Bay for swimming is $12 ($10 if you share).

Additionally, taxis of all shapes and sizes are available at various ferry, shopping, resort, and airport areas, and they also respond to phone calls. There are taxi stands in Charlotte Amalie across from Emancipation Garden (in front of Little Switzerland, behind the post office) and along the waterfront. But you probably won't have to look for a stand, as taxis are plentiful and routinely cruise the streets. Walking down Main Street, you'll be asked "Back to ship?" often enough to make you never want to carry another shopping bag.

Information

East End Taxi (340/775-6974). Islander Taxi (340/774-4077). VI Taxi Association (340/774-4550).

St. Croix

Taxis, generally station wagons or minivans, are a phone call away from most hotels and are available in downtown Christiansted, at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, and at the Frederiksted pier during cruise-ship arrivals.

In Frederiksted all the shops are a short walk away, and you can swim off the beach. Most ship passengers visit Christiansted on a tour; a taxi will cost $24 for one or two people.

Information

Antilles Taxi Service (340/773-5020). St. Croix Taxi Association (340/778-1088).

St. John

Taxis meet ferries arriving in Cruz Bay. Most drivers use vans or open-air safari buses. You can find them congregated at the dock and at hotel parking lots. You can also hail them anywhere on the road. You're likely to travel with other tourists en route to their destinations. Paradise Taxi will pick you up if you call, but most of the drivers don't provide that service. If you need one to pick you up at your rental villa, ask the villa manager for suggestions on whom to call or arrange a ride in advance.

Some small cruise ships stop at St. John to let passengers disembark for a day. The main town of Cruz Bay is near the area where the ships drop off passengers. If you want to swim, the famous Trunk Bay is a $6 taxi ride per person from town.

Information

Paradise Taxi (340/714-7913).