Many visitors to St. John don’t know we have a bus. Unlike the open-air taxis that cart you up and down North Shore Road and beyond, the VITRAN bus on St. John is just $1 each way from the Cruz Bay ferry dock all the way to Salt Pond parking lot.
A dollar won’t even buy you a bottle of water here, yet I can go 12 island miles in an air conditioned, chauffeured ride for a buck.
The bus trip will rattle your bones a bit, but seatbelts are built-in and available. There are designated bus stops that were recently identified around town with signs, but most drivers are very kind and will pick you up almost anywhere along the route. The only exception to this is in the heart of Cruz Bay, where no matter how much arm flailing and crying you muster, you’re not getting on unless you’re at one of 2 places: at the ferry dock, or up the hill at Dolphin Market before the bus heads out of town. You will also be refused if you’re bagged down with luggage.
The bus does not go on North Shore or through any national parks (taxi land), and it only runs on weekdays, but what we do have, is wonderful. The first bus leaves from the south side at 5:05am and Cruz Bay at 6:20am, then every hour until 7:20pm (except 12:20pm and 1:20pm).
See you on the Love Bus!