Two continents, forty-five minutes apart.

 

Just forty-five minutes is all it takes to get from Europe to Africa on the high-speed catamaran that plies the waters between Tarifa, Spain and Tangier, Morocco.

 

Arriving into Tangier in October 2019, it could be described as the start of a National Express odyssey as the city’s bus network has been ALSA operated since November 2013. The majority of city services throughout Morocco are now under ALSA control, the Spanish subsidiary of NE Group. Walking around Tangier, it is apparent that it is an affluent city but with some rough edges that are often associated with major ports. The buses certainly reflected the latter, not being helped by the rather dismal blue livery. The majority of the fleet is made up of aging Scania’s with a mixture of locally assembled bodies operating 44 routes and utilizing 192 buses.

 

                                                 Scania, operator ALSA, location Tangier

Leaving Tangier, it is time to board Africa’s first high-speed train, built using Spanish trains identical to those used in Europe. The line currently only runs to Casablanca, although most of the infrastructure is in place for the entire route to Marrakesh, the express due to arrive fifty years after Crosby, Stills and Nash sang about it.

 

Casablanca is an industrial city set on the Atlantic coast, not quite the dream setting of Ingrid Bergman but perhaps more suited to Sam. The population of 3.4m. is catered for by Casa Bus operating 66 urban and suburban routes, the city is also served by two tram routes. In 2019 ALSA won a fifteen-year contract to operate local services in Casablanca, initially operating 400 buses, which is due to expand to 700 during 2020. ALSA has ordered 500 Euro VI buses from Daimler (420 Conecto and 80 Conecto G) plus 200 Irizar i3le’s built on Scania 320UB4x2 chassis, to update the fleet. 150 of the vehicles have been purchased on behalf of L’ECI AI Baida, the local transport authority.   

 

                                                  Tata Hispano bodied bus in Casablanca

Departing Casablanca, heading north by road along the coastal plan past the Irizar factory, brings us to Rabat, the capital of Morocco, which is a cosmopolitan city with a population of 0.5m. Until quite recently, it was renowned for a shambolic public transport network operated by Stareo, a company that has been in financial difficulties for a number of years. ALSA won the tendering process and now operates in excess of 400 buses on 21 bus routes in the city. A modern two route tram system also crosses the city on segregated roadway.

          Operator ALSA, chassis Scania K250, body Higer, registration 482570WW, location Rabat. 

Heading inland via the walled city of Meknes to Tommy Cooper country, the city of Fez - the first city visited that does not have ALSA as the public transport provider. Fez, once a major city on the Trans-Saharan trade route, today sits at the crossroads to/from all the major cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.2m. With two medinas and a modern city, there is a lot of ground to cover. The modern part of the city is covered by an extensive bus network utilising buses in various states of repair, whilst the oldest medina is served by minibuses terminating at the old wall gate entrance.  Regrettably, finding information on the bus network is impossible.

 

                                                    Fez, Tata Hispano, registration 88544.

Finally, the journey south to Marrakesh. Marrakech is the fourth largest city in Morocco, after Casablanca, Fez and Tangier, with an urban area of 88.80 sq miles and a population of 953,305. Since 1999 ALSA has managed the transport network in the city, and is now operating 42 city routes, three suburban services and the one line BRT route utilizing 257 vehicles. The majority of buses are Scania which are built as knock-down kits at Scania's factory in Katrineholm. With so many tourists visiting the city, the bus network is probably the most accessible in Morocco, with several termini, clearly defined bus stops and readily available publicity. (Marrakesh was covered in detail in a previous article)

 

                                              ALSA, Marrakesh, Solaris, Urbino 18 hybrid.

Considering ALSA forms part of National Express, an operator with a wealth of experience in operating local and express services with easily accessible travel planning information, it is a pity none of this expertise filters down to Morocco. The ALSA website is abysmal, with emphasis on corporate values and no recognition for the demands of the travelling public, such as route planning and timetables. Perhaps if we inhaled some of the hippy smoke, all would be much clearer.

                                          Above: Tram in Casablanca. Below: Tram in Rabat.

Barcelona

 

Two centuries, two decades, three ways.

TMB 1803 MAN NL273F CNG with Castrosua body rounds the fountain on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes in 2019.

It is very seldom that I visit a foreign location more than once but Barcelona is an exception. The first occasion was in 1973 travelling by coach, a French registered Mercedes Benz 0305, from Boulogne via Paris and Madrid. In 2010 it was a lot quicker, with a cheap Easyjet flight and short ‘Aerobus’ hop into the city centre aboard a three-axial Neoplan. The 2019 journey was a long, tiring, day trip from London St Pancras via Paris on Eurostar and French TGV right into the heart of Barcelona.

A Société des usines Chausson with Pegaso engine from the 1973 visit.

In 1973 the city was a commercial hub with a vast expanse of docks and it traded on its Gaudi connection to attract a small number of tourists. The south of the city, towards the docks, was generally out-of-bounds to tourists after dark, apart from those seeking the comfort of a lady for the night. By 2010 the dock area had been gentrified and now housed a large marina and expensive shopping centres, whilst the city at large had become trendy, resulting in a major increase in tourists. 2019 was a shock: the city was overrun by visitors and large numbers of migrants from Africa, boosted by day visitors from cruise ships. The one constant throughout has been the never-ending building of Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, construction work having commenced on 19th March 1882 and projected to be completed within the current decade.  

 

A Pegaso 6035 artic again from the 1973 visit.

The metropolitan area of Barcelona has 164 municipalities covering an area of 636 sq km with a population of 5.5m. Passenger services are provided by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) with a fleet of 1140 buses and it has additional responsibility for the metro, tram, regional railway, urban railway, city sightseeing buses and the funicular railway. The bus network carries 203m passenger per annum on 109 routes (three D routes, eight H routes, seventeen V routes, seventy-four red routes, seventeen night services and three sightseeing routes).

TUSsal (Transports Urbans i Serveis Generals, Societat Anònima Laboral), MAN NL223 with Caetano body on route B20 from the Barri Oliveres suburb into the city centre Sant Pere terminus. Photographed in 2010 outside La Sagrada Familia Cathedral.

Horse-drawn trams were introduced to the city in 1872, followed by steam trams in 1877. Buses were introduced in 1906 with the first permanent urban bus service beginning in 1922. Services were affected by the ravages of the Civil War. Many of the tram lines were damaged by air-raids and were sabotaged. In addition to this, there was very little capital available with which to run the transport system. In the aftermath of war, the network was gradually repaired and reinstated. In 1951, the municipal government gradually began to take over the management of transport services which had previously been run by private companies and by 1958 what has become TMB had been formed.

 

Left: Aerobus Scania K360 with Castrosua Magnus body at the Plaça de Catalunya city centre terminus in 2019. Right: Aerobus Neoplan N4420 L Centroliner at the Plaça de Catalunya city centre terminus in 2010.

Today the fleet is fairly modern, thanks in no small part to funding from the European Investment Bank with a €73.5 million loan in 2019 for the purchase of 254 buses. This is in addition to €32.5 million invested by TMB in 2018. The last major upgrade took place in the early 2000s and by 2007 the entire fleet was low-floor and wheelchair accessible. Today the investment is centred around environmentally friendly vehicles. The latest funding will provide the city with 116 new electric buses, 63 hybrids and 75 using latest generation compressed natural gas. The renewal will also cover Barcelona’s 20 diesel-powered double-decker tourist buses, which will be replaced with hybrids. The first 105 arrived in late 2019, this year will see another 75 and in 2021 the final 74. These arrivals will complement the 350 existing hybrid buses already in the fleet. Much of the new fleet will be provided by MAN Truck & Bus Iberia, SA, although in 2020 an order was placed for 14 Solaris Urbino Electric and 9 Irizar iZe electric artics for service on route H16.

 

Left: This small MAN was used in 2010 to transport shoppers from the city centre to the up-market shopping areas. Fitted out in rather lavish style with tables, table lamps with frilly lampshades and window curtains. Right: TCC (Transports Ciutat Comtal) Mercedes Benz Citaro at Plaça de Catalunya in 2019.

The TMB operation is best described as functional with the operational fleet, colour schemes and infrastructure meeting the needs of a modern-day city without any major efforts to promote itself. The city architecture does however provide a wonderful backdrop for the bus photographer providing you can avoid the crowds.     

TMB 3613, Solaris Urbino artic hybrid H18 on the Passeig de Colom segregated busway opposite the marina in 2019.

Malta 2014

Malta ~ A return ticket.

 

Much has been written in recent months about the public transport turmoil on the island of Malta. Would it be better or worse than twenty-six years ago? All those years ago the 'iconic' grey and red buses provided a haphazard, erratic service, timetables indicating the existence of a service rather than a schedule. To put the operating environment in context, Malta is an island smaller than the Isle of Wight with a population of approximately 413,000 of which 30,000 live on Gozo and it derives 35% of its GDP from tourism.

 Valletta Bus Station on first visit.

Stepping out of Luqa airport the initial signs were not good. The airport is served by seven routes, six are a series of X routes connecting the airport to major destinations throughout the island and the seventh, 201 is a minibus route to Rabat (Mdina) via the Blue Grotto. With the exception of X1 all services were operated under contract to Malta Public Transport by many of the island independents with an assortment of minibuses, buses and coaches in a multitude of liveries and showing signs of many years in service. More impressive was the infrastructure, the grumpy assistant behind the former Arriva information desk issued a euro 6.50 weekly travel card (since the demise of Arriva this ticket no longer covers Gozo which requires the purchase of a euro 1.50 day rider). Outside all the bus stop flags had route numbers with final destinations clearly shown and timetables for all routes.

 

Once away from the airport the situation is much improved. The majority of vehicles are in Arriva livery and staff are in smart Malta Public Transport uniforms. Public information is clear and concise in a format familiar to UK travellers, being produced by FWT. A full colour A4 route map of both islands is freely available, but timetable booklets are not produced, although information is readily available on the internet before arrival and by SMS once on the island, neither of which is necessary as all bus stops on the islands have timetables, route numbers and final destination on the flag. Valletta bus station has an information kiosk with route maps and stand departures information adorning the exterior walls, Sliema ferries interchange has a simalar Kiosk and Gozo has a new four bay bus station. On street ticket machine are located at various locations, although they never seem to be used, this could be because of the difficulty in reading the screens in bright sunlight, most passengers elect to pay the driver.

 

An Arriva King Long in Valletta bus station.

Routes from Valletta and Victoria(Rabat) Gozo are planned on a hub and spoke system with groupings of route numbers following major arterial roads, e.g. 51,52, 53 Valletta - Rabat(Mdina), and then splitting off to suburbs or rural villages, often in one way loops, reminiscent of First Bus in this country, 51 to Imtarfa, 52 Dingli, 53 Rabat suburbs. Each service is on a thirty-minute headway providing a ten-minute interval along the main corridor. Services operate from early morning until late night Monday to Saturday with a slight reduction on some routes on Sundays. Night routes operate between Valletta and Sliema, and Marsaxlokk receives a Sunday only X85 service to cover heavy tourist loadings leaving the 85 with capacity for the locals. Timetables are adhered to and schedules allow for sedate progress on the route. Driving standards have greatly improved, passengers no longer cross themselves when boarding and buses no longer carry an image of the virgin Mary.

 

Before discussing the buses and making any conclusions on their condition, it is worthwhile briefly looking at the condition of Maltese roads. They fall into three standards; short lengths of modern highway with smooth tarmac, generally paid for by the EU; urban streets with some rough lengths, not dissimilar from the worst roads in Britain, and finally rural roads, best described as potholes occasionally connected with tarmac. The majority of vehicles operated by Malta Public Transport are King Longs, either 9-meter XMQ6900J or 12-meter XMQ6127J. Although these represent the current offering from King Long, and are all low floor, they do not match standards normally associated with most European manufactures. Rough engines and mis-matched gearboxes give a ride reminiscent of an AEC Swift or Bristol RE. The exterior bodywork on the first deliveries is showing signs of quite severe rusting, whilst the interiors look worn and in need of refurbishment on all the fleet, and the much heralded air conditioning has given up with windows and roof vents being open. Would any European manufactured vehicles stand the rigors of such intensive utilisation and high passenger numbers? Passenger loadings are on a level we would associate with London or Hong Kong and vehicles operate for eighteen plus hours a day. One redeeming feature is the telematics. Large continually scrolling screens are fitted on all vehicles and display bi-lingual route direction and next stop information in Malti and English, although the volume of the associated audio announcements is set to low to be audible. The King Long fleet is supplemented on Gozo by an Optare Solo Hybrid and on Malta by a small number of BMC Falcons, Optare Solo Hybrids, Saracakis bodied Volvo B7RLE and Scarnif bodied MANs.

 

Independent operator in Valletta bus station.

In a desperate move to cover the withdraw of ex London Mercedes-Benz artics, Malta Public Transport contracted former independents to cover several routes and provide peek hour additions to other routes. Routes covered in their entirety by independents are X2; X3; X4; X5 and X7, all providing cross island services focused on the airport. Vehicles used are a mix of full size buses and coaches, including former Reading Transport YN56 FBF, Scania Omnicity still in Vodafone red and with full Reading legal lettering, now operated by Peppin Transport. Some of these vehicles carry ticket machines provided by the transport authority, although no attempt is made to collect revenue or check tickets. Three minibus routes are also covered, the 201 Airport - Blue Grotto - Rabat(Mdina) and the combined 101/102 Ghajn - Mellieha - Cirkewwa, all services are hourly. None of the vehicles carry a ticket machine, and again no attempt is made to collect revenue or check tickets, and the timetable has a more liberal interpretation. The 201 is proving problematic as the Blue Grotto is a major tourist attraction and only nineteen seats per hour are provided in each direction with no standing allowed, although we did manage twenty-four seated passengers on one occasion. Passengers between terminus points are left standing at stops with no alternative, and this was out-of-season.

 

In April 2014 the Maltese government issued an update statement. It confirms a leasing agreement for forty-three new air-conditioned buses. There has been three expressions of interest in taking over the operating franchise, two from local Maltese companies and one from the Spanish subsidiary of National Express. UK operators McGills and National Express have already dismissed any involvement, citing lack of transparency on the part of the Maltese government. The Government also reported a further 7% drop in revenue between January and March 2014.

 

Optare Solo in Gozo.

So is the situation any better than twenty six years ago? The answer is a most definitely yes. Whilst many may bemoan the loss of the iconic Maltese bus, like the Routemaster in London, they had no place in a modern, intense transport operation. Some areas still need addressing; driver communication skills with passengers are sadly lacking; revenue enforcement; vehicle maintenance, occasional roadside breakdowns were noted and the aroma of hot oil and diesel not uncommon; Valletta bus station requires the finishing touches, removal of the portacabins and inclusion of stands 16 and 17 into the main concourse, three of the fifteen stands have already been demolished by drivers overshooting the stop ramps and need repairing, finally, Cirkewwa terminus needs the finishing touches, currently being devoid of marked bays despite being the third busiest interchange. The management of Malta Public Transport are doing a sterling job in the face of intense political interference. The island now has a recognisable modern network with reliable timetables and buses, driven by professional well trained staff. Arriva should be proud of its legacy, just don't mention the artics. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ic0DeRTjWeh95iUV2

https://omnibusworld.weebly.com/

                               

Iran

Euro 3 alive and well, Iran 2017.

'Why?' is the first question asked when you tell people your holiday destination. The answer is simple: to the younger generations it is Iran and the various images it conjures up, but to an oldie like me it is Persia, with millenniums of history and tales of Arabian nights. 

 
Tehran BRT. A King Long XMQ610001, on Azadi Street heading towards the city centre, operating BRT Line 1 on the segregated bus lane. Note, to the rear of the bus, a traffic police officer guarding the entrance to the bus lane.
 


'Caution traffic merging from the left', is the first road sign you see when emerging from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, and yes it is in English, as is much of the road signage in Iran, but driving is far from English in style. At first glance you might think Iranians are poor drivers but if you watch closely they are skilled: slotting into the smallest gap, never using mirrors, indicators or brakes, making sudden three point turns at will and having a total disregard for lane discipline. They do however admit to having a total disregard for pedestrians.  Once you take all this on board, a journey by public transport seems less daunting especially as flights from the UK arrive in the middle of the morning rush hour. Travelling the 50km into the city centre is a quick cure for any overnight grogginess. 

 
Photographed on Keshavarz Boulevard, Tehran, Oghab-Scania 3112 City Bus, fitted with Scania DC09 115 engine, ZF gearbox, 12m Oghab body B45F + 28 standing. Since 2000, Oghab/Scania (Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Co.), with a manufacturing base in Semnan, has produced more than 2600 coaches and 1000 buses.


Tehran, the capital of Iran, has 8.5 million residents within the city and over 15 millions in the environs. The city has an extensive local bus network and bus rapid transport (BRT) system, both soon encountered on the journey from the airport with the BRT vehicles at this point using the normal road network and sitting in the traffic congestion. The segregated BRT lane appears in the middle of the dual-carriageway once you enter the central districts, with entry and exit points controlled by traffic police on point duty.

Public transport in the capital generally operates from 6am and finishes between 10 and 11pm. United Bus Company of Tehran has been in existence for over 55 years with a workforce of 8,500 and manages about 6320 city buses, 4398 of these are operated by 16 private sector companies, plus an additional 1078 mini buses.  In all, there are 230 bus lines, covering 2718 km and carrying  approximately 4,500,000 passengers per working day. The majority of buses on normal services are dual-door Mercedes Benz 0457 (Iran Khodro Diesel) or Renault (Shahab Khodro). The cost of a single ticket is less than 10p and must be pre-purchased from ticket booths located close to bus stops or in bus stations, although most locals use preloaded 'tap-out' travel cards. At this point it is worth mentioning passenger etiquette on local services: women use the centre door to board and sit to the rear of the bus, whilst men board at the front and sit on the seats between the front and centre doors. When alighting, the women use the centre door whilst the men tend to use either door, and both sexes then make their way to the front door to either use the 'tap-out' machine attached to the step grab handle or hand a ticket over to the driver. If you do not have a smart card, you can offer cash to the driver who is not permitted to accept it so will often let you board without paying, because offering to pay shows your sincerity! When alighting, generally pushing the bell is unnecessary as drivers have to stop. However, if no one is waiting at the bus stop, the driver might call out to see if someone wants to get off, and if no one replies, the driver usually keeps going. Despite what might look like a hap-hazard system, dwell time at stops is low.

Yutong ZK6128HGE (also displaying Iran Khodro Diesel IKD CO supplier's lettering). Operating on route 71, departing the bus stop outside Zinat Almolk House on Lotf Ali Kahn Zand Street.

The first BRT line was introduced into Tehran in 2007,and today there are ten lines denoted by colour with a single journey using a smart card costing about 5000 Rials (12p). Within the first year, passenger numbers increased by 77 per cent, up from 214,000 to 380,000 daily on the 18km Line 1. Presently the ten BRT lines cover 171.8 km in length and operate 1345 12m rigid and 15m artic buses carrying close to 2,000,000 passengers per day. Bus stops, known as 'Stations', are between 36–44 metres long with a protective cover against sun heat, wind etc and are fully wheel chair accessible. The BRT is a safe, fast and efficient way to get around Tehran, however, using the BRT is not recommended in rush hour. The buses operating the system are showing their age, a result of ongoing international sanctions that has resulted in limited imports. King Long and Yutong artics are much in evidence. The first batch of King Long XMQ6180G 18 meter BRT vehicles were delivered in 2008. The batch was specially adapted for local needs with entry facilities for wheelchairs and a partition dividing the interior into male and female sections.

On leaving Tehran, like most people, we headed to the far south of the country before working back north to the capital. Shiraz is 930km from Tehran and the journey can be made by plane, train or express coach. There are 20,000 intercity buses in Iran and approximately 30 coach operating companies, such as Seirosafar, Ham Safar, and Iran Peyma. Most companies offer several daily departures on popular routes aboard standard and VIP-class coaches. Coaches usually stick to their timetable but 15-minute delays do occur, usually deliberate to allow for late passengers. Up-to-date timetables can be found on each company’s website, however, the websites are not in English so it helps if you know someone who speaks Farsi. Fares are low, for example, travelling on a VIP bus from Tehran to Shiraz, taking up to 13 hours, costs approximately £14, with hourly departures between 11am and 10pm. A focal point for buses in the city centre is the roads around the Arg-Karim Khan fortress with many of the now familiar Mercedes Benz (Iran Khodro Diesel) types laying-over. More modern Yutong ZK6108HG are in evidence. In June 2017 Shiraz became the first city in Iran to test the BYD K9 all-electric demonstrator, using large-capacity lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, that, when fully charged, provide sufficient energy for over 150 kms of urban service. This vehicle is currently touring other major cities in Iran as part of an initiative to improve air quality that started in 2015, when the Tehran public transport fleet took its first hybrid CNG buses.

Departing Shahrdaari Bus Station, no more than a roadside pull-in on Shohada Square (a roundabout), next to  the Arg-Karim Khan fortress, Iran Khodro Diesel Mercedes Benz 0457. Iran Khodro Diesel Company was established as Khawar Industrial Group in 1966. In 1999 it merged with Iran Khodro Company to become Iran Khodro Diesel.

One of the main reasons for visiting Shiraz is to take an excursion to Persepolis, the magnificent Unesco World Heritage Site just a few kilometres away. The site is also home to one of the largest coach parks you are ever likely to see, capable of holding hundreds of vehicles on a single level, windswept, dusty plain. This site provided the opportunity to take a straw-poll of Iranian coach operators’ vehicle preferences. Without doubt the winner, by a big margin, is the Scania chassis/engine, Oghab body combination. Oghab (Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Company) has manufactured more than 2600 coaches and 1000 city buses in Iran since 2000. The other popular combination is one which is very familiar, the Volvo B12B 9700, whilst the remainder are a motley collection of familiar European brands, MAN & Neoplan, VDL, Mercedes Benz. The Chinese share of the market is confined to the smaller 9m (35 seater) models, again familiar to operations in many parts of the world.

The 463km journey north through desert, mountainous landscape and Pasargadae, home to a Mercedes Benz 0457 converted into a builder’s store, brought us to Yazd, a city which sat on the silk road route and now has a population of 432,000. The first sighting of public transport in Yazd occurs just after leaving the motorway,and the Atlasi bus and coach station is a small two platform interchange located on a roundabout. Continue down Timsar Fallahi, a long straight avenue, towards the city centre and you come to the much larger Abouzar bus and coach station which is situated on Abouzar Square, and is in fact a very busy roundabout with an abundance of buses. This city has a more diverse fleet, both in colour and vehicle type. There are still large numbers of older Mercedes Benz but interspersed with more modern Renault Eurobuses and Pishro Yadak City Buses. 

The most common coach combination in Iran, Oghab (Oghab Afshan Industrial and Manufacturing Company) 4212 Maral body on Scania K Series. The coach is parked in Salman-e-Farsi with some of Yazd's famous wind-towers behind. These were the original home air conditioning system. 

The journey continues another 324km north to the city of Esfahan, once the capital of Persia, and now the second largest city in Iran with a population of just over two million. Entering the city from the east and travelling parallel with Zayandeh Rood (life giving river) along Salman Farsi Street you cross the intersection with the north/south BRT line at Bozorgmehr Bridge. The line runs north to the Bagh Qoushkhaneh Bus Terminal and south along the Zobahan Freeway. Currently a single 17km system, opened in 2013, operated by Esfahan and Suburbs Bus Company, using red liveried King Long XMQ6180G1 artics and 100 locally built Asia PishroDiesel (formally Pishro Yadak) 12m rigid city buses. The remainder of Esfahan is served by an extensive conventional buses network of 105 routes, utilising a number of small bus stations and roadside interchanges dotted around the city. Yet again the bus fleet consist of Mercedes Benz 0457, Renault Eurobuses, Pishro Yadak and more modern Oghab Scania-3112  vehicles, and a mysterious white three axial rigid that kept disappearing into the distance on Hakim Nezami Street which might be a tri-axle Oghab/Scania Arrian.

The final 450km across the desert on a well maintained motorway takes us via Kashan, a small, very conservative city renowned for its merchant houses and gardens. Arrival at midday coincided with the schools changing shifts, and as both the schools and school transport are segregated, resulting in an abundance of Iranian built Mercedes Benz 0309, Khodro Diesel school buses. The small local bus service is operated by blue Renault Eurobuses. The final part of the journey back to Tehran takes you close to two of Iran's nuclear establishments, the only time politics came into play and when cameras had to be hidden away.

Juggling for position in the evening rush hour, a selection of buses at the municipal bus station at the top of Bagh-e-Goldaste Street, Esfahan.

Owners and drivers are very proud of their Euro 3 credentials, often displaying the fact in bold lettering on the vehicles. Iran's bus manufacturers are making concerted efforts to convert existing vehicles to CNG, develop Euro 6 and hybrid models, often in collaboration with European manufacturers. With the lifting of international sanctions, it can only be a matter of time before all these Euro 3 models disappear and become as scare as Leyland double-deckers in Iran. 

Heading away from the city centre along Amir Kabir Street in Kashan, a Renault Eurobus from the local municipal operator.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vNjSMQRgSeM9usk29

End to End ~ Cuba February 2020

The country

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation located 90 miles off the south coast of North America with the north shore on the Atlantic Ocean and the south shore on the Caribbean Sea. A socialist country with a land mass of 110,860 square kilometres, it is 1,250 km (780 miles) long and 191 km (119 miles) across its widest point and 31 km (19 miles) across its narrowest point with a population of 11.5 million. The capital is Havana with 2,130,081 residents: Santiago de Cuba and Camaguey are the other two major centres of population.



The country is supported financially by Russia and China; however since early 2020 has been suffering severe hardship with a shortage of basic food, medicine, fuel and gas due to a blockade of shipping by the American Coastguard. This situation is most obvious to tourists travelling by road as coaches and buses are not exempt from queues at filling stations or lack of fuel.

B135 620, Giron XII-Pegaso operating a school excursion to Castillo De Los Tres Reyes Del    Morro.



The journey

Havana, located on the north western coast, is the starting place and this journey goes initially west then crosses to the east of the long and narrow country, eventually returning to Havana.



The Omnibus National coach station is on the outskirts of Havana, and is on route to the national highway which provides the only sighting of the ubiquitous "camelo" articulated truck/trailer buses, once a common sight on the streets of Cuba, looking forlorn and abandoned on the roadside.



Viñales which is a small settlement in an area of mogotes, caves, mountains and tobacco plantations, is the most westerly point of the journey. The town contains a small bus depot with a fleet of Diana vehicles in Ómnibus Escolares and standard service livery. A double-decker sightseeing service connects all the major landmarks around the town.

Empresa Provincial De Transporte De La Havana, Yutong ZK6180HGC

The long journey east starts by retracing the outward route towards Havana before circumventing the city via the southern ring road. Eventually the shores of the Caribbean Sea are reached at a place known in modern history as the 'Bay of Pigs' before arriving in the small city of Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos is set around a bay with a grid style road system, and public transport consists of a small fleet of buses from 9m up to 12m in length. The centre of operations is focused on Pasedo El Prado, the longest boulevard in Cuba, although a popular mode of transport is the eight-seater horse & cart taxi. Set five blocks back, the Terminal de Ómnibus on Calle 49 provides a basic building and small yard for express services provided by Omnibus National.

Ómnibus Nacionales depot in Las Tunas.

Highway 12 provides the next short leg of the journey to Trinidad, a small city with narrow streets and a large pedestrianised historical centre. The limited town bus service is provided by elderly Diana models and a Yutong double-decker sightseeing bus. To the east of the centre, at the junction of Calle Chanzoneta and Calle Amistad, operators use a site which functions both as a terminus and yard. Services operated by TransMetro and heading west start here, and travel through the centre using roadside bus stops for picking up. Omnibus National use the second coach station in the city centre on Calle Gloria, known as Terminal Viazul & Astro, which is a rundown site with booking office and undercover waiting area, on a narrow street not suited to modern day coaches.



The national highway again provides the main route for a journey down the spine of the country. Departing Trinidad, skirting Sancti Spiritus and on to Camagüey. Once again, Camaguey is a town with narrow streets in the historical quarter and only one route for a midi bus service. The newer outskirts that are around the inner southern ring road are served by conventional buses, and slightly further to the south on the road out of the town is a terminus for Omnibus National and for several routes served by the popular trucks with seats in the back. The Provincial Transport Company for Camagüey district transports 110,000 people daily; the operation was expanded in 2016 when 23 new two-door Diana buses were added to urban routes, along with another 15 large buses each capable of carrying between 150 and 160 passengers.



Continuing ever eastward, the uninspiring town of Las Tunas provides the next bus interest. Local services are provided by a mix of vehicles including single decker articulated buses. The main interests are the large Omnibus National depot and, next door, the slightly smaller Transtur depot which are located on the ring road. Moving on to Holguin, the next town of any size, as you enter the town there is yet another large Omnibus National depot and immediately next door, an even larger depot of Omnibus Holguin. From here the route turns south via the birth place of Castro at Biran to Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city in Cuba. A day excursion continues the journey east via the highest view point on the island at Gran Piedra and close to the infamous Guantanamo Bay.



Starting the long return journey, the first major town is Bayamo with a small intercity bus terminus on the outskirts. The journey now resumes the route taken on the way out, bypassing Camaguey before overnighting in Sancti Spiritus which is a beautiful small city with a smart fleet of Dianas that are operated by EPT Taxibus. Tourist express routes 16 and 25 operated by Viazul bus from Trinidad serve the city which is home to a new inter-provincial coach station for over 2 million passengers a year. Finally, on to the provincial capital, Santa Clara, that is home to the Monumento Emesto Che Guevara and scene of the famous train bombing during the civil war. Bus services are provided by green and white liveried Cubanicay Omnibus. Just the long drive back to Havana remains.



Cubans drive on the right, however they use the left hand (centre) lane of dual carriageways as the default lane, moving over to allow overtaking. The standard of driving is very high: speed limits are obeyed; indicators appropriately used; potholes dodged and full awareness of all other road users, eg bikes, pedestrians, tractors, horse/oxon & carts and roaming cattle. It is the law that any road vehicle with spare seats must stop and offer a lift to residents standing on the roadside with the exemption of coaches carrying tourists and cars with ‘T’ registration plates. Hitchhiking is a way of life, either using thumb & finger or holding out a few Pesos to indicate a willingness to pay. At major gathering points, marshals are deployed to halt vehicles and control loadings.           

Diana manufactured bus converted for sightseeing but being used on rush hour service in Santiago de Cuba.

The Vehicle Manufacturers



CAISA

Evelio Prieto Guillama Bus Production Company (CAISA), located a few miles west of Havana in Guanajay, manufactures the popular Diana bus which is assembled from imported CKD kits and locally produced GRP panels. The factory currently employs 400 workers and in 2018 built 480 Diana buses.



The origins of the factory can be traced back to the Soviet era with production peaking in the 1980s. Between 1970 and 1980, approximately 15,000 Giron buses based on a Paz 672 chassis were produced. Production ceased in the ‘Special Period’ which is the time in the early 1990s when the Russians departed and left the entire Cuban economy in tatters. Production resumed at the end of 2012 when the Diana bus was launched.



Since 2014 Yutong has jointly developed the 7.5 metre Diana with CAISA, with seating for 25 and room for 18 standees, although, as in the case of all buses operating in Cuba, this is a conservative figure because no bus is ever too full and no one is left standing at a stop. In total, it has produced 1,475 Dianas since 2014.



In 2019 an agreement was signed with the Russian manufacturing group PAZ, a subsidiary of Gaz, to assemble 250 PAZ-32053 chassis with euro 4 engine from imported parts. The finished product will seat 26 with a total capacity of 45. The final product will also be badged ‘Diana’.

EPT Cubanicay Omnibus outside Hotel Central on Leoncio Vidal Park, Santa Clara.

Yutong

The modern PSV transport scene is dominated by Zhengzhou Yutong Group Co., Ltd. (Yutong). Cuba has been one of its main overseas markets.  In 2005, 400 Yutong buses were imported which made it the largest export order in Chinese bus history at that time. By March 2006, the 1000th Yutong bus had arrived and by May 2007, the total ordered had risen to 5348, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records for Export. Over twenty bus models have been introduced to the island since 2005.



In 2008 Yutong agreed to deliver 200 coach knock-down kits for assembly by CAISA. In 2015 a further order for 1,833 units was received. By 2017 Yutong had launched the first hybrid bus in Cuba and during 2018, 40 hybrids were imported.

B137 111, Transmetro (Empresa de Transporte de Trabajadores), Yutong ZK6107HA makes a tight turn from Calle Gutiérrez in the historic centre of Trinidad.

Marcopolo

At an economic summit in 2012 the Brazilian bus manufacturer expressed an interest, with CAISA as a partner, to develop a production site within the Mariel special development zone (ZDE). By 2014 the technical development was well advanced but the project faltered over the availability of international loans.



Hino

The remnants of the once large Hino fleets can still be found throughout the island, or at least purporting to be Hino if the badges are to be believed. In the 1970s, batches of 500 and 550 were delivered and by the mid-1980s most public transport consisted of Hino, a company revered by the Cuban transport industry.



The Operators

Buses appeared in Havana in the 1920s and by 1952 transport in the capital had already consolidated under two large companies: La Cooperativa de Ómnibus Aliados (COA) and Autobuses Modernos S.A. (AMSA). Transport was nationalized in 1959 and both companies came under state control in 1961. The extensive city network continued to expand and by 1984 accounted for nearly 4 million daily journeys. The start of the “special period” in the early 1990s caused havoc with most operators and services disappearing, but eventually led to the introduction in 1994 of the camelos. It was only in 2011 that a gradual recovery of the extensive network began. All operators are under state control and in general, operate identical vehicle types. Some individual companies are only for the Cuban population or a particular profession whilst others provide visitor services.



Empresa Provincial de Transporte de La Habana oversees passenger services in Havana using a fleet of over 900 buses from 16 depots with 1.1m passengers a day. There are fifteen bus terminals, five of them for the main routes and ten for secondary and feeder routes.



Metrobus (Metrobus de La Havana) currently operates 17 main routes in Havana, identified by the letter P (P1 – P16 + PC), using a fleet of single-deck articulated vehicles with a standard fare of 5CUC. This is the successor to the "camelo" network. The company began life in 1994 created from Ómnibus Urbanos de la Habana and used camelos until 2005 when the first articulated buses arrived. The network underwent further consolidation in 2007. Secondary (Guaguas) routes, little changed in decades, use numbers, 1- 490 not in a continuous sequence. Feeder routes begin with the letter A (A1 – A97) whilst local services connecting neighbourhoods begin with the letter C (C1 – C7 + CF9 and CF114). 

Metrobus de La Havana 744, Yutong ZK6180HGC in Calle Industria 

Transmetro, Empresa de Transporte de Trabajadores (Workers Transportation Company), was created in 2007 and provides services for tourism employees and associated government organizations across the country. It operates a total of 998 buses from over 21 bases including 23 routes in the capital and carries over 30,000 passengers per day. The company supports local services in the province of Santiago de Cuba, where reliable public transport is an issue, using a fleet of fifty 44 seat buses.



National Omnibus Company (Ómnibus Nacionales) (EON) formerly known as Astros, operates 828 coaches reserved exclusively for Cubans. The nationwide network of express services uses a fleet of Yutong coaches in blue livery, less luxurious and often a lot older than those used on tourist express services.



Transgaviota. This company has its origins in the transportation of Soviet advisors in the 1960s. The current board of directors is headed by senior military personnel. The company describes itself as offering a wide range of tourist services although the most visible element is the coach fleet which operates across the country and the (green) open-top sightseeing buses in Cayo Santa Maria and Varadero. As the website no longer functions, gaining an insight to routes and timetables is impossible, but a troll through the Twitter feed gives some indication of the services on offer. 

 
B166 956, Transgaviota Yutong ZK6831HE on a hotel pick-up opposite Central Park in Havana.


 
Viazul Transporte por Omnibus has provided intercity services throughout the country for nationals and tourists since 1996 with more than 20 daily departures from Havana. Its coaches tend to be acquired second hand and kept for many years. Some of the Mercedes used until recently were twenty plus years old whilst the oldest Yutong dates back thirteen years.



Empresa Transtur S.A., formed on October 13^th 1980, is a multi-faceted travel and freight company. The company specialises in in-coming tour groups but also provides a nationwide network of express services which are focused around tourist hotels. To the visitor, it is the most visual of all the companies. Its blue & white livery can be seen on over 1500 coaches and open-top buses that operate from fourteen depots with support from a further seventeen branches and 200 sales offices. Open-top sightseeing buses operate in Guardalavaca, Havana, Jardines Del Rey, Santiago De Cuba and Varadero. 

B176 772, Transtur 3694. A Yutong ZK6122H9 on tourist duties in Viñales.

Whilst many may mourn the loss of variety and the mix of curios that once operated on the streets of Cuba, it is fair to say that the Island still holds much interest for the PSV enthusiast. It just requires seeking out. The island is in something of a time warp and, whilst the locals might not agree as they struggle daily with the difficulties that international sanctions bring, the architecture and natural beauty make this a traveller’s haven.

Motor Coach Industries (MCI) MC-9. Several were donated and are used by sports teams with baseball being a national sport. 

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