Havana/The work of the Caisa Bus Production Company, located in Guanajay, is strongly affected by the constant electricity outages in Cuba. This situation causes, according to a note published by The Artemiseño this Friday, that the only bus assembler in Cuba cannot advance in the work of repairing buses in Havana, despite having recently received a large donation of parts and pieces from the Chinese government.
This Saturday, for example, the Cuban Electrical Union reported the stoppage of unit 1 of the Felton CTE due to “high temperature in the bearing”, which will consequently contribute to prolonged blackouts throughout the day. Yesterday, according to part of the UNEthere was a maximum impact of 1,707 megawatts (MW), slightly higher than that expected for today (1,685 MW during peak hours), with an availability of 1,665 MW and a maximum demand of 3,280 MW.
Meanwhile in Caisa, a hundred buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot, waiting to be repaired for several months.
A hundred buses are stranded in the company’s parking lot.
The company’s workers assure The Artemiseño They do not believe that more than 20 can be ready before 2026. Likewise, employees point out that, despite there being 27 active people in a staff of 47, if they could complete their eight-hour workday, they would be able to be much more productive and more effectively meet the capital’s transport demand.
This would also allow us to partially alleviate the serious crisis of public transportation in Havana, already marked by the shortage of oil, which is aggravated by the poor state of maintenance of the buses.
The situation is further complicated by the lack of operational vehicles. Recent statistics from the Ministry of Transportation and the Provincial Enterprise indicate that of the 435 buses that should circulate in the capital, only 130 are in a position to provide service. This represents only 35% of the fleet, with serious consequences for urban mobility. Of the 17 main routes and 112 secondary routes, less than half operate regularly, especially affecting the working community, students and people who must travel for health reasons.
Added to the lack of buses is the damage caused by misuse and vandalism: broken windows, chipped glass, damaged door systems and stolen parts, even in the new Foton gazelles from China, of which only 34 of a park of 50 were recently in service. Faced with this lack, many citizens are forced to turn to boatmen, but the prices of these private taxis have become significantly more expensive in recent years.
