Made in Cuba cars arrive in Matanzas.
For now they are solving the transportation problems in the city and the people of Matanzas can only say «welcome to these cars Made in Cuba, Rikimbili brand».
In recent times, it has become increasingly common to see handmade vehicles circulating in the streets of the city.
This initiative, typical of the needs of Cubans, came to alleviate the transportation of passengers from one end of the city to the other, which is complicated by the fuel situation, among other difficulties.
The so-called «riquimbilis» transport passengers from the Canimar Bridge to the Faustino Perez Hospital, at a cost of 50.00 pesos each way, which at the end of the trip adds up to about 200 per capita, a price that is not affordable for those who depend on these means of transportation on a regular basis.
A reality that we cannot cover with a finger if we analyze that it is the most efficient, constant and safe alternative to arrive on time to the work center and return home after a long and exhausting working day.
The deficiency with transportation and urban buses in Matanzas is an old issue that has not been solved once and for all to the delight of the people of Matanzas who are clamoring for at least two daily routes, as it existed before Covid-19.
These Creole devices, most of them made thanks to the creative ingenuity of the Cuban, are composed of parts and pieces of old cars, motorcycles and iron and zinc plates, adapted to bodyworks of different models.
Some have Ladas engines and tires; Moskvish brake pumps; the steering wheel is the same for a truck as for a motorcycle and they exhibit improvised seats that can accommodate a large number of people, in short, they are true rolling Frankensteins.
Handcrafted, Creole, with three or four wheels, with less or more passenger capacity, beautiful or ugly, expensive or not, for now they are solving the transportation in the city and the people of Matanzas can only say «welcome to these means Made in Cuba, Rikimbili brand».
Written by Noelis Santoyo Cobas.
