Public Transportation in Havana
As of August 2013
Taxis – Taxis are more expensive than other modes of transportation. The cost varies according to the (a) length of the trip, (b) number of passengers, (c) time, and (d) your negotiation skills. The advantage of taking a taxi is that it provides door-to-door service. Unless the taxi has a meter, establish a price with the driver before getting into the vehicle.
There are a few ways to use taxis. The person at the Martin Luther King Center (MLKC) reception desk can call one for you. This is often more time consuming (waiting 20-60 minutesfor it to arrive).
You can also hail a taxi on the street. They are usually marked as CubaTaxis, and they are generally yellow and black.
The taxi fare between the MLKC and Old Havana (Havana Vieja) or the Vedado or Miramar neighborhoods will run CUC$10-15. Tipping is done by rounding up the fare.
Máquinas – Máquinas (literally ‘machines’) or carros viejos (old cars) provide a bus-like service in a car. Almost all of the large American cars from the 50s and 60’s and jeeps provide this service. Many of them have a ‘taxi’ sticker in the window. They run along specific routes (generally following the bus lines). You can flag them down at any point on their route, ask if they are going to your destination, and, if so, jump in. They charge standard rates in Cuban national currency (MN: moneda nacional) of 10 pesos for a ‘short’ trip and 20 pesos for a ‘long’ trip. Máquinas run 24/7, but are scarcer at night.
For example: In front of the MLKC on 51 Avenue máquinas run a route that goes all the way to the Capitolio(Capitol Building) in Havana Vieja. It takes about 30 minutes and costs 20 pesos MN.
Public Buses – This is definitely the cheapest way to move around. Public buses cost 40 cents of a peso MN. Most passenger pay a peso, since the 20 cent MN coins (pesetas) are hard to come by.
There are many different types of public buses in Havana. CGE participants usually use the PX lines, MetroTransit, and the Omnibus. Maps of the Havana Metrobus Network (available on the internet) are hard to decipher. It is easiest to ask Cubans where to catch the bus or where to find the closest bus stop. You can also ask the bus driver if the route goes to your destination.
Information on several main bus routes and their termination points follow:
P10 – MLKC to the Cegera (the eye hospital at the intersection of 41 Avenue and 31 Avenue), beyond that to Playa, along 70 all the way to the coast (large market, botanical garden)
P14 – MLKC to the Capitolio in Havana Vieja
*at the bus stop near the Capitolio people waiting to board a bus form two lines – one for seated passengers and one for standing passengers. The bus stops at the first line, fills its seats and then proceeds to the second stop. When getting in line, people ask, “última persona (last person)?” and then get behind whoever says “yo(me).”
P5 – Cegera down 31 Avenue to Linea (Casa Alba, Teatro Mella)
P9 – Cegera down 41 Avenue to Paseo (Calle 23)