Chinese buses bring welcome change to Cuba

By Esteban Israel

HAVANA (Reuters) - Change is coming to Cuba, on Chinese wheels.

And Cubans, long accustomed to waiting for hours on curb sides for a creaking "guagua" (bus), like what they see.

Deficient public transport, one of the most pressing problems inherited by Cuba's new president, Raul Castro, has taken a great leap forward over the last year thanks to thousands of buses imported from China.

It is the most noticeable change to life in Cuba since Raul Castro took over as caretaker when his brother Fidel Castro fell ill and stepped aside in July 2006.

The transfer of power was completed last month when Raul Castro was formally named president, raising hopes among some Cubans that the improvements he has overseen in transport might be spread to housing and other social services.

The lines at Havana bus stops are now much shorter with new buses running 10 or 15 minutes apart, and the sight of Cubans racing desperately to catch a lone bus already packed with passengers is less frequent.

"This is improvement, compared to the apocalypse we were living through," said state employee Jose, 51, amazed to see two buses arriving simultaneously.

Flashy articulated buses have replaced the notoriously uncomfortable "camels" or humped-back buses Cuba resorted to when the loss of Soviet aid took the communist island nation to the brink of collapse in the 1990s.