CIT WORLD 8 TEMPLATE - The Chartered Institute of Logistics and ...

20
CILTWorld issue 9
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
Cuba – taking things for granted
How one Chartered member of
CILT felt he might have to go into
‘James Bond mode’ to observe
Havana’s overland metro bus
services – which operate with
‘Camels’ ... but without route
maps or timetables, and few bus
stops!
By Mike Taylor, CMILT *
IN BRITAIN, we often take some of the simple
things for granted. On a recent visit to Cuba I
was quickly reminded of this. About a month
before my departure from the UK I decided it
would be nice, while on holiday to visit a couple
of Cuba bus companies in order to have an
informal meeting to compare bus-operating
problems and to have the opportunity to take
some photographs for my archive.
Faxes were sent off to three bus companies in
Cuba, but after a week I had received no response
from any of them. I repeated the exercise a second
time, but still no response. A week before my
departure to Havana I was disturbed by my
secretary in a meeting to say the Cuban Public
Relations Attaché In London wanted to speak to
me urgently.
The gentleman from the Embassy, although
polite, was very assertive on the phone line: he
had “heard” that I wanted to interview some bus
managers. I had “only” a tourist visa and not a
journalist visa, and such visits could not be
permitted. Suddenly it appeared “big brother”
was in a position to stop my holiday to Cuba. It
was necessary for me to quickly backtrack, eat
humble pie and to forego my harmless idea of
sharing bus operational experience with my
Cuban peers.
Attitudes change and finally the Attaché
suggested that upon my arrival in Havana I
presented myself to the “English Section” at the
International Press office. This I duly did – and was
met by a very helpful official. Photographs and
forms were completed and exchanged, meetings
would be arranged and a ‘minder’ would escort
me on my visits.
‘I felt I was moving into covert operations’
However, after completing all these formalities I
heard nothing more from the International Press
Office about my proposed visits to the bus depots.
As I had not been given any official permission to
make my visit I felt I was moving into covert
operations in my observations of the public road
passenger transport in Havana.
The city has around two million residents, no metro
and a relatively low car population. Personal
mobility, therefore, is either by foot or by bus.
Political and economic conditions have precluded
any substantial investment in the city bus fleet.
The municipal fleet appears to consist of Mercedes
Benz and Volvo standard buses with Brazilian Buscar
bodies painted in a dull blue and white livery. These
appear to have been supplemented by a number of
Dutch Den Oudsten Dafs, still in their original
liveries.
Among those interested in transport, Havana has
become famous for its substitute overland metro
bus services. Known as “Camels” – because of their
two humps – these are principally converted
articulated lorries (see picture above). These were
introduced in 1995 on around ten major corridor
routes radiating out from the city centre. The routes
have to be planned carefully due to the physical size
and manoeuvrability of these huge “truck buses”,
which are around 75ft (23 metres) long – compared
with 60ft (18 metres) for a typical articulated bus.
Each route has a prefix letter “M” followed by a
designated numerical number. To add further
distinction, each route has a specific allocation of
“Camels” and they are painted in very bright pastel
colours dedicated to that route.
Carrying up to 300 passengers, these vehicles are
clearly prime movers as, having observed them
during the day, they always appeared to be full.
Ultimate secrecy
The secrecy in Cuban life seems to extend to the
ultimate. There appear to be no official bus route
maps or printed timetables for any of the bus
services to assist Havana’s two million citizens.
That may not be too surprising, as many capitals
in developing countries have limited budgets –
but Cuba has around two million overseas
visitors a year, and nearly all of them spend time
in Havana.
What is even more problematic is that bus stops
are almost non existent in the city. Your only clue is
a line of waiting people. However, you have no
idea what bus they are waiting for, where that bus
may be going or when it is supposed to turn up!
The social convention, I believe, is to ask (if you
can speak Spanish) the last person you think is in
the queue if they are “in” the queue.
Despite this, my English-speaking hotel
receptionist told me that queue jumping in
Havana is very much considered as being antisocial
– unlike my earlier experiences in Central
and Southern America.
Having made this report, nevertheless I would
recommend anybody to visit Cuba. It is a warm,
friendly and casual country with a wonderful road
passenger system that has a particularly Cuban
approach to a particularly Cuban problem.
• Mike Taylor is Principal Lecturer in Travel
Marketing at the School of Services Management,
University of Brighton, Sussex, UK.