Armandito and his dream achieved.

From sunrise to sunset, Armandito «gives wheels» in his bus without complaining, on the contrary, satisfied to know that he helps the Cubans «on foot».

For Armando Rodríguez González, a driver at the School Bus Base in Matanzas for more than 20 years, there is no day off during the week. The exact time of departure or arrival home does not appear on his calendar. Proud of the work he does, he tells us what motivated him to drive:

«Well, since I was 18 years old I liked cars, buses…, I started to get interested in that until I managed to become a driver and I don’t regret my decision, here I am still, in the same place where I started my working life.»

Armandito, as he is nicknamed in his collective, for those who meet him for the first time may seem very serious and even introverted, but when you talk to him several times you «get to know him», as we usually say in good Cuban, and you realize that he has a big heart, besides being aware of the importance of his job.

«When you drive, you are responsible for the lives of the people in the bus and everyone else on the road, those who cross the street, the children who sometimes play with the ball where they shouldn’t, just imagine, you have to have all five senses focused on that».

From a human being so committed to his daily work, one could not hear any other advice.

«We must not get desperate, nor want to pass another bus, the cars…, prudence is fundamental if the drivers do not want to have traffic accidents».

The Matanzas School Bus Base is a place where Armando Rodríguez González feels at ease.

«Although I spend most of my time driving, the Base is the other place where I feel at ease, just like at home, because we are really a collective. We help each other in everything, when you get tangled up in something they give you a hand, we look for solutions to problems, well…, it’s my second home.»

From sunrise to sunset, Armandito «gives wheels» in his bus without complaining, on the contrary, satisfied to know that he helps the Cubans «on foot», not only to comply with a regulation or Resolution, he does it by conviction, the one he has known since he was 18 years old, when he started driving.

Written by Tamara Mesa.