Port Authority to Charge Fee for Off-Airport Rental Companies
Starting Nov. 1, the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) will charge car rental companies located outside of Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas.

Photo via Wikimedia.

Photo via Wikimedia.
Starting Nov. 1, the Virgin Islands Port Authority will charge car rental companies located outside of Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, according to a report by the St. Croix Source.
Off-airport rental companies will face a $1 per rental day fee on every contract entered with a customer arriving via the airport.
The revenue from this fee will be used to improve and expand the airport’s facilities.
“We have serious improvement we need to make if we want to continue to grow and to accommodate the kind of traffic that’s coming in through here,” Calton Dowe, VIPA executive director, told the St. Croix Source.
Currently, there is no charge for off-airport rental companies to pick up and drop off guests. Starting Nov. 1, they will have to report to VIPA the number of contracts they enter with airport customers and pay the fee on a monthly basis, according to the report.
Click here to read the full St. Croix Source report: http://stcroixsource.com/content/news/local-news/2015/09/15/vipa-fee-airport-car-rental-companies-begins-nov-1
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