I spent five days in Havana. This is what transportation is like there.
Cuba has some special twists on transportation. These are my impressions after a five-day People to People cultural exchange tour I took of Havana, the Cuban capital.
Articulated buses and bus stops were full:
The lights for pedestrian crossings were tiny:
There were huge countdowns for waiting cars:
A sign seemed to say, “Ok, kids. Run!”:
People put local resources to use to make goods that are plentiful in the US, but not so much in Cuba:
A few bikes had become rickshaws and delivery vehicles, but there wasn’t much cycling on the streets.
When our tour guide showed us this well-maintained boulevard, she told us bicycles were banned from the roadway so cars could travel unimpeded at speed.
The boulevard did, however, have a path for walking and biking through the middle:
1950s-era taxis were playfully called “hybrids” because their outer shells are preserved, but their engines are rebuilt with modern parts:
Drivers didn’t charge much to take you on a one-hour joy ride:
For a short video with Cuban music and lots more photos, see my post at http://durablehuman.com/Cuba.