Travel to Cuba!

After years of chronic transportation woes, Cuba is finally getting some relief.  President Raul Castro’s Ministry of Transportation is granting licenses to car owners who want to use their vehicles as taxis.  This is big news for lots of Cubans, including city dwellers of Havana, who often have to hitchhike to work every morning.  Or stand in lines for buses, then pack in like sardines.  People in the countryside or suburbs often wait all day for a bus to pass by.

More Private Cars Can Now be Used as Taxis

The Cuban government stopped issuing taxi licenses in 1999 and car ownership is not common among most citizens of Cuba.  To get around, people have to be creative, to say the least.  There are taxis, but they don’t cruise around much because that eats up a lot of gas.  There are nice taxis, even, but these are for tourists and charge up to $30 for a sweep around Havana.  Taxis for Cuban citizens cost about $.50 for a typical common ride.

Buses aren’t even easy to get in Cuba.  There just aren’t many.  The old buses they use from the Soviet Era.  They are hand me downs from East Germany and still have  East German cities as their destinations.  The government has purchased nice buses from China, but they are used to shuttle tourists around.

Alas, the new taxi licenses allow drivers to ferry Cubans only, not foreigners.  But it should help the transportation system in general as Cuba tries to move forward on Raul’s promise to improve daily life for Cuban citizens.