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PRINTOwners of a couple of St. John car rental companies cheered the news that the quota for the number of rental cars allowed on St. John is going up.
“I’m happy because we need to be able to provide the service for our customers,” said St. John Car Rental owner Albert Willis.
Greg Edward, who owns Courtesy Car Rental, agreed with Willis. He added that the change was long overdue.
Motor Vehicle Bureau Director Jerris T. Browne said that the existing quota of 625 cars will double. However, he said he currently has requests from 270 new vehicle permits from 16 existing agencies and 167 from nine people who want to get into the business. The remaining 188 slots will allow for future growth.
“But that doesn’t mean we’re going to give them to any Tom, Dick or Harry. They’ll have to go through the process,” Browne said.
St. John currently has a total of 19 companies renting vehicles but Browne said three of them haven’t asked for additional cars.
Browne said that the car rental quota hasn’t been increased on St. John in 18 years.
“The rental companies have been complaining,” Browne said.
Car rental company owners have grumbled for years that the number of rental vehicles allowed on St. John was too low. Since they often ran out of vehicles, particularly in the busy winter months, tourists began renting vehicles on St. Thomas to bring over on the barge. There’s no way to know yet if the increased availability of cars on St. John will change that practice since many tourists appear to like the convenience of picking up their car at or near Cyril E. King Airport, stopping for groceries on the way to the car barge terminal at Red Hook, and driving straight to their vacation villa or hotel.
If they rent on St. John, they’re faced with a taxi trip from the airport, a ferry trip across Pillsbury Sound and a walk or drive to the St. John-based car rental agency.
Willis said he regularly turns away customers because he doesn’t have enough cars so he’s sure that with the additional cars, some of those renting on St. Thomas will use St. John businesses.
“Lots of people would prefer to rent on St. John,” Willis said, citing the stress of driving on busier St. Thomas as one reason.
While more cars are coming, Edward said that lag time in ordering vehicles means the St. John agencies won’t have their full complement of vehicles until the following winter season.
While Browne said St. John car rental businesses can allow their cars to be taken to St. Thomas, currently the contract signed by the renter prohibits it. Willis said he doesn’t think the St. John companies will change their minds on that issue. He said that breakdowns could be a problem.
Most St. Thomas companies that allow their cars to be taken to St. John stress that those who do so are on their own when it comes to repairs. Willis said that he’s had people who rented on St. Thomas ask his staff to fix their tires or ask for a map.
Browne said that while the car rental business owners are aware the change is coming, he’ll send out formal letters to the agencies to inform them of their increases. He said MVB staff on St. John will meet with agency representatives in the week ahead both reconcile and update their records.
Car rental company owners are advised to call MVB Assistant Director Myrna George to schedule appointments for information on their new allotments. Her number is 776-6262 or 643-5110.
I hope that the VI Government will add 625 NEW parking spaces to go with the planned quota increase.
Parking in and around Cruz Bay is pretty much non-existant already and picking up guests from the ferry dock is already a nightmare in season.
Just wondering where all these additional cars are going to go? Do the agencies even have space to provide parking for all these additonal cars in their lots?
We understand that breakdowns that occur can be a nightmare for car rental agencies (as well as their customer) if their cars are on a different island that it is rented. However, I do not understand why these agencies cannot form a co-operative agreement with each other, on each island, to assist with a breakdown, in the event of a breakdown.
That would really be "customer service" at its best for their clients and insure that their vehicles were in good hands until repaired and returned.
No-one wants to rent a car on one island and have to rent another if they want to shop in St. Thomas or see the sights in St. John for the day.
These are important issues that should be addressed, prior to 625 more cars being added to St. John's inventory where only Taxi's have prime parking, which is a whole other issue.
The reason many must rent cars on St. John and endure the many stops on the way to the ferry dock while paying for the taxi ride with their luggage, the ride over, paying another fee for themselves and their luggage, and then attempting to find the car rental agency once they get to STJ is because their arriving and departing airline times conflicts with existing scheduled barge service, not the stress of driving in STT.
Thanks Alana. Your comments about the unbridaled growth of traffic without any plan - AT ALL! - are exactly spot on. The GVI can't figure out how to listen and work with the residents. Maybe the plans for STJ are written in de Sub Base! Of course, where the hell is Barsinger on this issue??? Oh, he step out....don't want to rock the boat er, vote. What a crying shame Johnians must endure what the schtupidees decide on. God, even on St. John the taxis rool de roos. When will they ever get it right? Ever? Bu ferry and car barge mek big bucks too ya know....ya know???
Oh, Oh, bu wait!!!!
See how the senators are now granting EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISES to the taxi associations for particular parts of the pie, er island?? So tell me.....might this bring about any votes in 5 weeks that might just go to particular senators and maybe a few candidates as well? I wonder if something like this is actually legal. A democratic supermajority decides to dole out geographic and commercial exclusivities to just ONE sector of the business community. The same community that DOESN'T EVEN PAY ANY FRIGGIN' ROAD TAXES, or pay their fair share of TAXES!!!!! And now des fellows own de lan' an can control de turf! And those particular people that are running won't get any BLOCK VOTES? Sorry, more rotting fish in South Babylon! An who says ting is gettin bettah? Ask the corrupt ones. They make it so.
It wouldn't be so bad if they actually charged what the franchises are worth instead of the rediculously LOW fees they presently charge for these leases and franchises but that would take guts and everyone is afraid of losing votes.
Additionally, Taxi's should pay road tax just like everyone else since they are hogging, er, using the roads the most, blocking traffic and getting prime parking.
Our Government cries "broke" and increases our taxes instead of doing the right thing and making the playing field equal for all.
This nonsense must stop!