Buses on St John? Sure!

Inexpensive way of getting from one end of the island to the other

First, the disclaimer! Bus service on St John is often emblematic of the phrase 'island time'!  The Virgin Islands Transit Service (Vitran) has been running bus service on St John for more than a decade and they continue to work on getting it right.  The first buses brought to the island were what I would call 'state side buses' in that they were full size buses typical of those one would see in a big city like Boston or New York. Well, with our hills (steep, steep hills) they did not last very long!  

The buses that Vitran uses now are more island sized and powered which seem to work quite well on our hills.  The bus service runs from the Cruz Bay ferry dock on the western end of the island along Center Line Road to Salt Pond in Coral Bay on the eastern end of the island. All for $1 (kids and seniors fare is even less)! Not bad, as long as you are not in a hurry. 

Word has it that the buses run from Cruz Bay leaving at 6 AM, 7 AM, and then 25 minutes pass the hour until 7:25 PM and from Salt Pond Bay, the bus leaves at 5 AM, 6 AM, 7AM, 8 AM and then 10 minutes after the hour until 8:10 PM; however, if you are on a schedule it is best to call Vitran 340 774-0165. 

The bus is actually a great way of getting to the head of the Reef Bay Hiking Trail if you are planning on hiking down to the beach and taking the National Park Service boat back to Cruz Bay.