Photo Feature by Ernesto Gonzalez Díaz
HAVANA TIMES – For some years now, it has become increasingly common to see electric motorcycles and motorbikes in the urban landscape of Havana and, to a lesser extent, in other cities across the country. These vehicles currently cost between 1,200 and 3,000 USD, depending on their characteristics, and can be purchased from individuals who import them from Panama, the United States, Mexico, and other countries in the region, or from state-owned establishments, although at higher prices than those offered by private sellers.
As is logical with those prices, which are astronomical for the average Cuban worker, only those who have relatives abroad willing to gift them an electric motorcycle, owners of private businesses, or employees who earn enough money per month to afford the luxury of owning their own transportation, or children of wealthy state or private company executives can acquire them. I have several university students who come to class on their motorcycles, and it’s ironic that I, as their professor, have to ride a bicycle because my income doesn’t allow me to afford a motorcycle.
The reality is that in a city with a public transportation system that is increasingly on the verge of collapse, where fuel for cars, buses, and any other means of transportation is very difficult to obtain, and sometimes has to be purchased at prices higher than the established rates, more and more people are trying to acquire one of these vehicles to solve, at least partially, one of the biggest problems we Havana residents face.
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