While it may in the past have been a creative way to overcome a shortage of public transport once the public system is operating so as to serve public needs adequately the private service will die out on its own for the most part. A similar problem exists in the Philippines where there is virtually no publicly owned transit bus system. In major cities the main public transit is by jeepney. These are ornate vehicles built originally on stretched US jeep bodies. They use surplus Japanese diesel truck parts and the bodies are made in the Philippines. Owners often take pride in competing to decorate their vehicle. Many have Mercedes Logos on their grill leading me to be amazed that Mercedes manufactured such weird contraptions. Of course they do not. There are two rows of seats running parallel to the road plus at least two can sit next to the driver. Passengers also stand on the back and in the country they ride on the roof. If you ask someone how many a jeepney will carry, the answer is: One more. In cities such as Metro Manila the government is considering banning jeepneys because they are smaller than regular buses and thus use more fuel and create huge traffic jams. However, as the bus service improves and increased fuel costs make it difficult for jeepney owners to survive the number of jeepneys is declining. While it might happen quicker if the government decrees that there will be no more jeepneys it will probably be unpopular and unless the bus service is improved dramatically and quickly it will create difficulties for people to get to work etc. Jeepney drivers are ingenious in minimizing expenses but often at the expense of safety and also of the environment since many of the jeepneys belch thick diesel fumes since their injectors are filthy.
--- Charles Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Reading this article itself what is striking is the > proof that planned > obsolescence can be overcome, and the > resourcefulness of the Cuban > revolution. The headline mentioning a socalled > threat seems designed to put > a negative spin on what is an example positive vigor > in the rev. > > Charles > > > > Reuters.com > > Vintage US cars keep chugging in Cuba but face > threat > http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=inDepthNews&storyID=2006 > -05-12T121400Z_01_N10308286_RTRUKOC_0_US-CUBA-CARS.xml > > Fri May 12, 2006 > > By Nelson Acosta > > HAVANA (Reuters) - "All aboard for Capitolio, via > Linea!" cries a jitney cab > driver looking to fill his shiny black 1947 > Chevrolet Fleetmaster. > > Eight passengers pack into the car fitted with an > extra row of seats, arms > hanging out of open windows. The motor roars to > life, and the vehicle chugs > off in a cloud of black fumes. > > In any other country the Fleetmaster would be on > show in a museum or in a > vintage car collection. But in communist Cuba, more > than 60,000 American > cars made in the 1940s and 1950s are still on the > roads in full use. > > Foreign visitors feel they have stepped into a time > warp at the sight of > tail-finned convertibles, deluxe Cadillacs and > Oldsmobiles, De Soto > limousines, powerful sporty Buicks, Mercurys, > Plymouths and Chevrolet sedans > and trucks. > > Since the collapse of the Soviet Union plunged Cuba > into deep economic > crisis in 1991, the old Americans cars have been > pressed into service as > jitney cabs to fill the void left by a badly > deficient public transport > system. > > But the vehicles that have survived pot-holed > streets and the lack of spare > parts due to a four-decade-old U.S. trade embargo on > Cuba now face a new > threat. > > Cuban President Fidel Castro has vowed to run the > private taxis out of > business for charging exorbitant fares and stealing > fuel and car parts from > the state. > > "No one knows how many of these jalopies are going > around with diesel > motors. Where did they come from? They charge five > or six times more than > the new buses," the Cuban leader complained in a May > Day speech at Havana's > Revolution Square. > > Castro announced plans in February to buy 8,000 > Chinese buses and trucks, a > $1 billion investment to modernize the island's > transport system. > > New air-conditioned Yutong buses have begun arriving > and are being used > initially for tourist tours and inter-city bus > services. > > MECHANICAL WIZARDRY > > The privately owned American cars have been the > backbone of Cuba's public > transport system for over decade. > > Ford and Chevrolet trucks from the 1950s provide > services between Cuban > towns, with modified cabins that are packed with > passengers who often stand > for long distances. > > Restrictions on private property introduced after > Castro came to power in a > 1959 revolution make it hard for Cubans to buy cars. > > Pre-revolutionary vehicles can be bought and sold > freely. So Cubans have > dusted off their grandparents' jalopies in growing > numbers and used > mechanical wizardry to get them going again. > Changing the engine is often > crucial. > > Some of the finest models of their day are now > powered by Soviet-era diesel > engines that spew black fumes along Havana's hot > streets. > > Cubans bypass long lines for the overdue state-run > buses and take an > "almendron" (big almond), as the oldest of the huge > gas-guzzlers are > lovingly called for their rounded shape. > > Despite the tropical heat, they have no air > conditioning, at most a small > fan on the dashboard. > > The Fleetmaster's only original parts are its body > and the chassis. Under > the hood there is an engine from a GAZ-51 Soviet > army truck. The gear box > and transmission are also Russian. > > "You can say what you like about these old cars, but > they have resolved our > transport problem and allow us to get about town," > says Carlos Vidal, a > hotel employee. > > PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE? > > The sturdy American-made "almendron" remains a vital > means of transport for > many Cubans. > > "People need us because of the lack of public > transport," says jitney driver > Roberto Carmenate, proud owner of a 1956 Chevrolet > Bel Air. > > A cottage industry of black-market mechanics has > developed to cobble > together and tool parts needed to keep the vintage > cars on the road, from > homemade piston rings to brake pads. > > Their ability to improvise is astounding. > > Carlos Castellanos owns an impeccable 1952 Buick > Special. But raise the hood > and you are in for a surprise. The engine is > Romanian, the steering is from > a Citroen, the gear box is Toyota, the pistons are > Mercedes, the fuel pump > Mitsubishi and the starter motor borrowed from a > KIA. > > A private taxi driver in Cuba, driving 200-250 miles > a day, cannot do better than a mid-'50s Chevrolet > sedan converted to diesel > to cut his fuel costs. > > The Chevy is the car that needs least overhauling, > says Roberto Diaz. "A > 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet is the most durable car. Some > even have the original > factory engine working." > > "I never thought these cars could last so long, a > whole lifetime," said taxi > > driver Reinaldo Armengot. "The makers must have made > a mistake." > > C Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. > > > ________________________________ >
