All buses are privately owned. So I could purchase say 3 buses & obtain permission to run them on a specific route.
- The fare is 3Q or 38 cents.
- Buses legally have a capacity of 40 people.
- For one day the driver is expected to return 300Q = $37.50 to the owner at night. Hopefully the driver will make about 50Q = $6.25.
That is the arrangement. The 300Q is not negotiable. So how then does a driver earn more money? ¡Mirele!
- Drivers pack the bus three to a seat. These are school buses. When all seats are full, the drivers pack the aisles. Ellen & I had to get off a stop after ours because it took minutes to get through the mass of people in the aisle!
- Drivers drive VERY fast trying to get to a stop before another bus.
- At transfer points, buses often sit until enough people from other buses arrive.
- The national police collect about 5-6Q per bus per day. This amounts to about 500Q which is turned into the chief. In turn the laws regarding capacity are not enforced.
This is a main reason why these buses continue to be referred to as chicken buses. Our version of people being treated as cattle.
An added bonus for us :-) There are callers who yell out (gritar) Guati, Guati, Guati (pronounced Whati) beginning at 5 a.m. This is done so people a block away will know the bus for Guatemala City has arrived.
So each morning you are greeted with a chorus of Guati, Guati, Guati!
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