Has anyone relied on the bus system on St. John to get around to the downtown area and the other beaches around the island? I will be staying at the Westin and don't want to rent a car the entire week (I may rent one for a day or so). Other Caribbean islands we've been to have great bus systems--how is it on St. John?

hi. we did the reef bay hike. they take you by boat back to cruz bay. we were planning to take the bus back to our car. i think they were every hour. the first one didn't show up. then, about an hour later, 2 showed up (and the drivers were fighting about who was supposed to be there). so, we ended up waiting almost 2 hours. we should have just taken a cab. i wouldn't rely on the bus system. many people couldn't even tell us the schedule. our resort (maho bay) told us one thing for the times; someone else told us another (they were both wrong). however, we heard that the cabs are great. from my experience, i wouldn't rely on the bus system. remember, this was one day, one attempt. perhaps it was out of the ordinary (i don't think so, but i have to be fair).<BR>del

The bus does not go past the Westin and it does not go along the North Shore, where the nicest beaches are located. You have to go to Cruz Bay to get it. It runs along Centerline Road (Route 10 on a map) from Cruz Bay all the way to Salt Pond at the very end of St. John. It is somewhat reliable, but there are sometimes breakdowns.

Michelle,<BR>First of all, you don't need anything other than your feet to &quot;get around the downtown area&quot;. It's about the size of a postage stamp. <BR>You will need some form of transportation to and from the Westin to get to Cruz Bay as it's not really walking distance. Once you're in Cruz Bay the Vitran bus runs more or less regularly out across Centerline Road to the Coral Bay side of the island. As the previous poster said, it does not go near the Westin and it does not go near the northside beaches. The bus is really intended for the local population to get back and forth across the island to and from work and home and such. Unless you're headed out to Coral Bay for the day or want to be dropped off at The Reef Bay trail head the Vitran won't be very useful.<BR>You can certainly use taxis to get around from the Westin to the beaches but I highly recommend renting a car so that you can really go where you please and explore the island. You may not want one every day but be aware at the busiest times of the year it's sometimes difficult to get a daily car rental as they get reserved in advance for those who rent the entire week. Personally I like knowing I have the freedom to come and go as I please and not be dependent on taxis (which get expensive) and semi-reliable public transportation.

Michelle,<BR>What is the problem with renting a car? Are you afraid? Are you cheap? You really want to spend your vacation on a bus? <BR>Rent a freakin car and see the island for Pete's sake.

Rent a car, you won't be sorry. You can't get to 90% of the beaches on the bus. It's not meant for tourists.<BR>