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10.30.2009

Thoughts on the Bajan Buses


I didn't take this video but it gives a glimpse into a semi-typical bus ride in Barbados. This family's observations are similar to what I pick up on when I take the bus home from work. Note the woman says she's sitting on a sub-woofer (the yellow buses can be quite booming.) The one thing missing in this clip is that a Barbadian bus ride is mostly standing and we're usually packed in like sardines. Where these folks are driving looks like my neighborhood. (Did the kid really say "drink rum and have fun"!!?? Geez, what is it with these American families, by golly!)

The yellow and the blue buses costs $1.50 BDS, very affordable, and they run all over the island. The blue bus has a money deposit slot at the front and a receipt dispenser. On the yellow bus, you sit down or take some space in the aisle and a person comes to collect the money. But the most important observation about the buses that is not clear in this video...they all tend to go FAST. If you're on the bus, hold on and if you're driving and sharing the road, steer clear, give them room.

The clip below (also not mine) is an experience I have not enjoyed...a ride on a ZR bus. That's pronounced 'zed R' and what you have along with all of the above (booming soca or reggae, folks squished in, plus super fast driving) as the added attraction of the bus being the size of a mini-van.


Let's hear it for affordable and plentiful public transportation!

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