Transportation: Getting Around Locally

Click here for a video of a camello, and the sounds of Habana traffic (4.8 MB, high-speed internet connection only, QuickTime Movie format [.mov]).

Most people cannot afford a private vehicle, so they rely on their feet, a bicycle, or public transportation.  The most notorious form of public transport is the "camel" or "camello".  It is a diesel semi-tractor which hauls a bus-like trailer.  The fare is highly subsidized - 20 centavos or a bit less than 1¢.  (one American dollar = 26 pesos cubanos).   Usually you will find a line formed at the stops to get on the bus.  There are also more traditional busses called "autobus normal" or "gua gua".  The fare is 40 centavos, but you get a bit more comfort.

The collapse of Soviet subsidies in 1989 brought a collapse in public transport.  In 1989 the busses in Habana made around 20,000 trips daily.  In 1994 it decreased to about 3000 and today the number is around 9000.

Above - the "camello" can carry up to 300 people at a time - it's built for efficiency not comfort.

Taxis...

Taxis are common and exist in many forms in Cuba.  One can observe old American cars and newer Japanese or Korean cars or Russian made cars such as the LADA pictured below.  Often there are illegal taxis called "particulares"- private cars mostly with dark windows.  Additionally there are "collectivos" which are taxis which drive a fixed route.

At right a Russian made LADA being used as a taxi.  The light blue license plate indicates that the car is state owned but can be taken home after hours.

Hitchhiking is also a way to get around - all drivers of cars owned by the state (those with a light red or blue license plate) are obligated after work hours to pick up hitchhikers.  One will very often see people collected next to the road or under the overpasses of the highways (autopistas) with all manner of goods to trade such as produce - chickens, garlic, etc.

And there are more unconventional forms of taxis...

Communters getting on the "autobus normal" or "gua gua"  in Habana.

Trucks also carry people in the back such as in the picture at right from Santiago or below from Viñales.

As one leaves the large urban areas one sees fewer and fewer cars and more and more animals.  On the island of Cuba there are an estimated 400,000 horses, which are used mostly for ranch work.  However they can increasingly be seen in the cities pulling carts or even being used for public transportation.  In many parts of Cuba there is a growing reliance on horse power to get around, such as in the picture at left from the area of Viñales.  Even Oxen are sometimes used to pull wagons into the city.