As a tourist unfamiliar with where you are and without a car, a taxi is a very welcome sight. How many times have I been carrying a heavy load of groceries back to my vacation rental and almost wanted to kiss the cabbie who pulled me over and “rescued” me?
At the same time, approaching a taxi and getting into it is a bit scary. We’ve all heard too many stories of bad taxi rides not to be at least a little afraid for our safety in the hands of a strange driver. And I don’t know about you, but I have been surprised more than once by the driver’s announcement of the fare I owe at my destination.
Taxis in Barbados are almost always a safe and reliable means of getting around the 14 by 21 mile island. However, just as cultures differ around the world, dealing with taxi drivers also differs. In fact, taxis are a culture unto themselves wherever you go. This is what you need to know in Barbados:
1. Taxis in Barbados are not metered. Avoid unpleasant surprises by asking the amount of your ticket before you get in a taxi. Most drivers are honest; some are not. You can’t tell which are which, so ask your destination for the fare before stepping foot inside the cab.
2. Make sure you are dealing with a legitimate licensed taxi. Valid taxis have a blue license plate with a number preceded by the letter Z. Do not confuse legitimate taxis with another form of transportation in Barbados, “route vans”, also called ZR vans because their license plates begin with those letters. These are minibuses that operate on fixed, high-density routes around the island and stop frequently for passengers.
3. Do not negotiate the price. Bargaining is not part of the culture in Barbados. Perhaps the island is too English for haggling; Barbados was an English colony until the 1950s and didn’t gain full independence until the late 1960s, so the sensibility is quite English. Street vendors don’t haggle either.
4. Be clear about where you’re going, even though Barbados addresses are rarely along the lines of “123 Main Street.” More often he will tell his driver that he is going to “Mrs Smith’s house, two doors down from the fish market in Bank Hall Cross Roads”.
5. Ask your driver for advice. Your driver can offer you a wealth of information, so involve him (or, very rarely, she) in conversation. English is the language of Barbados (although the accent may take time to get used to). Ask your driver what he thinks of the island, where he recommends you go dancing on a Friday night, the best place to eat with the family on the beach, the busiest (or most secluded) beaches, etc., etc.
6. If you find a driver you particularly like, get their phone number and hire their services again. You may even want to hire him for a half day to give you a special tour of the island. (Remember to ask the price in advance). Nobody knows the island better than the taxi drivers and many of them have personality, which will make your trips especially fun.
7. Tip your driver. Most of the taxi drivers in Barbados work independently, just one man and his car. Respect that this is your livelihood and remember to tip ten to fifteen percent.
Barbados is a wonderfully safe and particularly diverse island, with different topographies, ecosystems, and even two very different bodies of water surrounding it: the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Armed with knowledge of taxi culture, hop in and discover why Barbados is called “The Jewel of the Caribbean.”
