By Nicole Bowers
Getting around in Havana is definitely an adventure. Due to the embargo, Cuba has a hard time buying and affording new means of transportation. As a result there are many inventive methods of getting around.
One of the biggest adjustments I have had to make as a Canadian living in Cuba is getting used to lateness. People can be hours late, partly due to the laidback attitude of the Caribbean, but mostly because no one can judge how long it will take to get where they are going. Buses come intermittently and when they do, they can be so full that only a few people manage to squeeze on. People have to use whatever transportation they can.
Hitchhiking is somewhat effective. Because everyone can sympathize with the lack of transportation, most people will stop to pick up hitchhikers when they have a red light at an intersection. Girls usually get picked up right away. There are even organized “hitchhiking posts” where a uniformed worker stops cars and organizes rides according to different line-ups. These posts and intersections get very crowded during rush hour.
Bicycle-taxi’s might not be the fastest way to get around, but work well for short distances. The “driver” bikes in the front seat and two people can sit behind him on a covered bench that is attached to the bike. Successful drivers have a stereo built into their bicycle-taxi to make the ride more enjoyable. Regular bicycles and motorcycles often serve as transportation for two.
When Americans were forced to leave Cuba hastily after the Revolution, vehicles were left behind. These antique cars and trucks make Cuba a “rolling museum”. An unbelievable number of these old cars leftover from before the Revolution are still running, functioning as taxis for locals. Instead of picking up a couple of people at a time, they have routes and fill up along the way. However, most can only afford this once in a while, since depending on the distance, taxis cost five to 20 pesos, about 20 times the price of a bus. Old trucks from the 40’s and 50’s are transformed by sheltering the back area with tarps. These trucks transport people to nearby towns outside of Havana. Benches along the sides seat a few people, mainly women, elderly and children.
Regular buses cost only part of a peso. However, the line-ups and waiting can be daunting. Each person who approaches the bus stop yells “ultimo” to find the last person in line. The last person answers and the line is formed by each person knowing who they are behind. People can continue doing errands, visiting or get something to eat while they are waiting, without have to be physically in the line-up. It is lucky to get on the first bus that passes since the buses are usually full, up to the point of having people hanging out the doors. The recent purchase of new buses from Russia and China hardly seems to have made a dent in the problem. Before these new buses, the city was still using “camelos”, literally “camel-bus”—the Cuban invention of a contraption with a camel-like hump, behind a tractor-trailer. Needless to say, they are not very comfortable; it is almost like being livestock. These buses are still used for trips to other provinces.
Many workplaces have buses that pick up workers in different parts of the city. This at least ensures that the workers will be on time. Often the driver makes extra money by picking other people up along the route, or even driving around for the rest of the day on a regular bus’ route and pocketing the cash. Police tend to turn a blind eye, since this black market venture is actually helpful to the city’s problem.
The atmosphere on all buses can vary. Sometimes if there are engine problems, the men have to get out and push the bus from behind to start it. Understandably most people are frustrated with being crammed into a bus so packed that it forces them to be pressed against strangers. But drivers usually have loud music playing and once in a while the bus ride turns into a party. Most Cubans channel their frustrations into fun. People strike up conversations while they wait for the bus and share their woes about the transportation.
Of course since Havana is the capital of Cuba, it actually has the best transportation. The older buses are sent to the other cities. With the struggles with the transportation in Havana, it is hard to imagine how the rest of the island could be worse. Those who are lucky enough to own a car, motorcycle or bike are pulled over constantly by the police and asked to show their ownership of the vehicle. Severe improvements need to be made on transportation in Cuba, but until the embargo is lifted and the economy of the country improves, these improvements will be impossible.