17387: Allouard: Re: 17376: Corbett: The fluctuating goud and public transportation (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Philippe Allouard <allouard@libertysurf.fr>

    Prices went up with the gourd devaluation and the rise of gaz price.

    As for tap-taps almost all the Port-au-Prince rides stabilized last
winter at 5 gourdes in town with a few exceptions: for example, if you want
to reach south down-town from Carrefour Aeroport, you'll have to take a
taptap to "potay" (Portail Leogane) and it will cost you 10 gourdes.

    The point for the taptap drivers who usually are not the owners, is to
make enough money to pay gaz and their daily "rental" fee...
For this they obviously try to have as many moves as possible on the
shortest distance.

    Typical of this problem is Delmas as a ride is 5 gourdes from Lasalin to
Petyonvil and 5 gourdes also from Lasalin to [Carrefour] Aeropo or
Delma65...
Thus many dirvers cut the trip and will tell on Avyasyon (between Lasalin
and Delma 2) they head to Aeropo, have all passengers out in Aeropo, take
others to Delma 65, and there have passengers out again to take another load
to Petyonvil...
    You understand the driver who has to pay 500 gourds a day to the car
owner + the gaz... but for people having to make the whole Delmas ride, this
require either to wait a long time to have a Diyite bus or one of the rare
taptap or kantè going till the end  for the 5 gourdes, or to take two or
three cars... that is expensive... when  you earn 3000 gourdes a month, a 10
gourds tap-tap fee to reach your job or go back home is a 20 gourds a day 25
days a month that is 500 gourds... And not all have such a "high" salary!

    For people living in Carrefour or after, it is worst as, often, traffic
or destruction of the road will force them to take a tap-tap, walk a bit,
take another one... or take a moto-taxi...

    During the rainy season, as rain approaches,  or when it is already
late, after 19:00,  prices would often go up as occasions become rare or
rain makes it an emergency. Tap-tap or kante would then stop for pick-up
with driver or his assistant saying: "It's 10 gourds"... Take it or leave
it!

    In tap-taps, I very often heard people complaining about the government
not decreting a fix rate for the public transportation... Some answered then
that the government can't, others that the government wan't not... One shot
back once: "Hey, you don't understand: if the governement fixes the prices,
it won't be able to rise the gaz price in order it makes more money from us!
"

    As for the exchange rate, it is always better in the streets, this week
for exemple, street would take US at 42,50 when the bank would give you at
the best 41.75. But, obviously, you have more chance to be shot changing in
the street...

    Best regards to the Corbeters.