Cuba-China joint project to restore public transportation in Havana

 HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 30 (ACN) Havana Provincial Transportation Company (EPTH by its Spanish acronym) is facing a complex situation with its vehicle fleet, significantly impacting public transportation services in the Cuban capital.

Luis Hernandez Pacheco, a senior specialist at the EPTH, confirmed to the press that the current number of passengers transported depends directly on the available fleet, which he described as "complex."

This contrasts with the daily average of more than 1 million people transported during between 2022 and 2023, when around 700 buses were in operation.

To address this critical situation, the EPTH, in coordination with the provincial government, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Evelio Prieto Guillama Bus Production Company (Caisa)—part of the Iron and Steel Industry Business Group—is working in a project to repair around 100 buses.

The initiative is made possible thanks to a donation from the People's Republic of China.

Iosvany Frias Alvarez, general director of Caisa, explained that the repair covers all vehicle components: tires, batteries, electrical and suspension systems, paint, and interiors.

"The idea," he said, "is that, once all the processes are completed, the buses will leave the company ready to begin passenger transportation service."

Currently, Caisa receives and unloads the 40 donated containers in the country, a crucial but complex preliminary step that requires regrouping all the parts, which were sent in separate batches.

A work system based on an industrial assembly line has been established. After sorting the parts, the planned pace would allow for the completion of the first 20 buses by the end of the last quarter of 2025.

He emphasized that this repair represents an "initial action" for the reactivation of public transportation in Havana, noting that other alternatives are being studied to recover more units.

However, the overall process also depends on the country's economic situation. (With information from Granma newspaper).