Riding in Taxis With Strangers

I’ve been wanting to write this post since I returned, because the humor of riding in taxis in Jamaica really hit me coming back to this ridiculously wonderful country.

This post is also directed at group 84, because I wish I truly understood what I’m about to tell you upon reaching my site.

So you all know by now that taxis in Jamaica run route: they go from point A to point B all day. You might have also picked up that there are generally two types of transportation- the typical 5 seater (sometimes a hatchback) and a coaster bus that sits about 18-20 people. Cars and coasters with red plates are legal, registered taxis, sometimes people run taxi that are not registered and they have white plates like everyone else.

Now lets talk about taxi communication. First of all, you should wait on the side of the road the car is going so no one has to cross the street (follow community members lead on this and most things). The driver usually keeps his hand out the window, if you see a white plate car and there’s a hand hanging out with bills folded between his fingers, he’s running taxi (that does NOT mean you should take the car- always opt for red plate unless you KNOW the driver). If the driver holds his hand out the window palm up or with his finger pointing where he’s going, he’s asking “need a ride?”. If you are, flag him down, if you’re not just shake your head or wave your hand and he’ll keep driving.

If you flag down a taxi that is full up (filled), the driver will hold out his hand palm down or he will flash his headlights at you.

Now, here is where I wish I’d learned more about taxi “etiquette”. A taxi man may stop and you might say to yourself “there’s not a square inch of this taxi that’s not occupied by a body.” It’s all about perception. If you truly think the taxi man is just being greedy at the cost of your comfort, and you want no part of this madness, just tell him “gwaan man, I’ll catch one nex one”. I warn you that if this becomes a habit, you’ll be waiting for hours for a taxi, especially around 8:30 or 9 am and 3-6:30pm. Being a small female, there’s always room for me, usually doubled up in the front seat. It’s common to share the front seat between two medium sized women or for the smaller woman to sit on a pillow on the console. Men, don’t sit in the front unless you know the driver- it’s a male machismo thing.

If there are not 4 people in the back seat, there is room for you.

If there are 3 adults and one child in the back, you can also fit. Smaller people, particularly children, sit on the inside, which means that you may get out to allow a child or smaller adult to sit inside of you (if you have a window seat), I also do this when I know I’m getting off before most people in the taxi, especially if it’s packed. If you get looks or people seem discontent to be so smalled up, just explain “mi soon come off”.

If you have no idea where to sit but the driver says he has room for you, wait till he tells you where- sometimes he’ll want you to get in on the opposite side to where you’re standing, and he’ll usually indicate to you by pointing or just saying so. Other times, some men will get out of the car and move to the trunk or hatchback, feel free to be amused by this, “only in Jamaica”. Some taxi men take charge of their passengers and like them neatly stacked- others don’t really care.

Now on to coaster etiquette. Coasters and taxis often run the same route, especially to and from major hubs like the parish capitol and another semi-urban locations. The difference is about JA$30 (coaster is cheaper) and sometimes as much as 30 minutes, coasters make a lot more stops and fit a lot more people, so they take longer to load at point A, and longer to get to point B (since you can catch a route taxi/coaster at any point on its route). Sometimes the cheaper ride is worth it, especially if you get on early and you can pick your own seat ( I take a car taxi when I’m in a rush or waiting on the route and take the first available ride). Normal seats in a coaster fill up first and simply due to preference- of course if you know you’re getting off soon you should sit forward and in an aisle seat. Once normal seats are full, an extra seat is added with a padded board between each aisle seat, and that fills up back to front. If you’re “lucky” enough to get that seat and someone behind you gets off, you must also get off to let them off, and take that persons seat. People accept coasters for what they are, crowded, hot and a bit of a wild ride- they will most likely load and unload to let others off without complaint, but it’s still helpful if you try to sit strategically.

There are also a lot of variables when riding in a taxi. Some drivers will take detours to let off passengers that don’t live en route. During slow time, it’s not unusual for a driver to double back about 1/3 of the way out if he wants more passengers. Once you sit you’re stuck, it’s very rude to get out of a taxi once you’ve sat down- I‘ve regretted this rule many a time as a taxi man ushers me quickly into his car and I sweat and watch two other taxis leave before we fill up enough. With this rule in mind, a taxi man can pretty much go where he wants with his passengers until they start complaining- feel free to join in with a kiss of the teeth when this happens. If people demand he “tek time”, you’ll probably feel the same as he goes around the turn on two wheels and so feel free to join in on that one too. I’ve seen passengers get out of a taxi early, complaining loudly, and there are a few drivers that I just don’t take because they are rude or drive too unsafe. It’s also worth it to note that many taxi drivers run errands for community members, and that’s not necessarily something you or anyone else should complain about.

Another thing to realize, especially in your community, is that beeping at you while you walk is a drivers way of saying “waa gwan!” or “heads up, I’m behind you”- it’s not meant to be rude or to frighten you, just greet back with a raised hand, head nod or a shout, it’ll go a long way for that night when you find yourself stuck somewhere and need a drive- nice people get more in that case.

So it goes if you want to get around here. Embrace it even if you don’t love it, it’ll set you apart as a “yardie”, and you’ll have so many more interesting experiences. Ask any previous PCJ volunteer for their best taxi story, they’ll all have one.