Taxi Commission

The Taxi Commission is supposed to regulate the taxi drivers and their vehicles. They have 1 or maybe 2 officers to enforce a hundred or more taxis over 2 islands. At best they are mildly effective but most likely useless. That being said, if you have a problem with a driver you should definitely reach out and complain to the Virgin Islands Taxi Commission: (340) 693-4211.

If you are in St. Thomas or St. John and a taxi driver refuses to take you, you should ask for their taxi number or look at their license plate and call the Taxi Commission or 911.

If you need a taxi you can call: (340) 774-4550.

St. Thomas and St. John Taxi Law

By law, taxi drivers MUST follow certain rules and regulations. The rules are found at Title 20, Chapter 37 – § 402. Operation of automobiles for hire:

• (a) Operators of automobiles for hire shall be decently attired and shall be polite to passengers.
• (b) Automobiles operated for hire shall be maintained in a clean condition.
• (f) Upon tender of cash fare, operators or automobiles for hire while on duty on the public streets shall accept all public hire jobs which are proffered to them and shall not discriminate against any prospective passenger. No operator may charge a rate to any passenger in excess of the maximum rates established under the provisions of section 405 of this title. An operator may refuse to accept as a passenger any person in an intoxicated state.

We Don’t Have Uber

Unless you rent a car, you are entirely dependent on the taxis to get around the island (unless you are staying in Charlotte Amalie, walking is not an option on our roads). We do not have a ride-sharing service here. No Uber. No Lyft.

The entire island suffers because taxi drivers aren’t held accountable for providing horrible service and for denying people a ride. There are many fantastic drivers, but it only takes a few to ruin not only your vacation but hurt the tourist industry for St. Thomas and St. John. So your input helps everyone here in the Virgin Islands!

Insane Pricing

All taxis in the Virgin Islands must abide by the price set by the Legislature. It is binding and non-negotiable. The cost is per person and depends on the route – where you are and where you are going to. The drivers should have the pricing posted somewhere on their taxi. Or, it is posted at the taxi stand. The prices are insanely high, especially for larger groups.

Required to Take You

If the taxi driver is on-duty they must take you. If you are alone or with a small group they might try to deny you a ride because they want to find a bigger group. Or, if you are staying somewhere far away on island, they may say they can’t take you. Or maybe it is late at night and they don’t feel like driving you for some unkown reason (other than being intoxicated). THEY CANNOT DENY YOU A RIDE. IF THEY DO, YOU SHOULD CALL 911 (our 911 operators take non-emergency calls) OR THE TAXI COMMISSION. THEY CANNOT REFUSE YOU JUST BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO TAKE YOU.