Would you join us in praying for a car for the ministry? Many opportunities are coming are way to teach workshops in various churches in the country, and we are beginning to find a challenge in transportation.
For the workshops that are coming up, pastors are offering to have a member come and get us, and return us, but we’d prefer not to impose. We are finding that the lack of a car is beginning to get in a way.
How do we get around?
Currently, we use the public transportation system: taxis and buses.
Buses cost .25 a passenger, and taxis run $1-$7 around the city. We generally do not leave the city unless we rent a car, which runs about $70 a rental for the first day, $40 per extra day, so we try not to do that often.
As workshop invitations come in from other parts of the country, we face the challenge of getting there. There are buses that run from the national terminal to various points in the country, and we are beginning to learn that system to try and solve this challenge for now without a car.
Want a taxi ride?
The condition of taxis are ranging from brand new cars to beat up junkers. We’ve been in all of them. Sometimes, taxi drivers refuse to take us where we want to go (because they don’t want to go in that direction), other times, they pick up other passengers so that every seat is full anyway. Sometimes the drivers are chatty, sometimes quiet. Sometimes they try to charge me $$ double dollars because I’m American, but I’ve learned the approximate prices.
The typical taxi ride:
- To church: $2.25 a trip.
- To the airport $30 each way.
- Home from the grocery story: $1.50
The Rojo Diablos.
The public bus system is no where like what you might experience in America. It’s an inconvenience that we live with.
Overcrowding is a fact. During rush hour, people push each other to get on board. Three adults on one side meant for 2.5 children, two adults in the other, meant for 1.5 children, and two standing in the isle, butt to butt overcrowded. Body odor. Getting off a bus during rush hour can be an act of parting the Red Sea since every person on the bus is defending "their turf."
Poor maintenance is a fact. We’ve been on buses that appear to be maintained well, but most times, seat cushions are collapsing, rusted holes in the floor allow us to see the pavement underneath, and general interior condition is just not well maintained. We’ve seen seats mounted with duct tape, grab bars overhead made of PVC, and one pair of my pants got caught on some screws that were sticking out.
Hundreds of thousands of people use these buses every day. We don’t mind being 4 of them. Yet, there is a limit to where they run, and we still don’t know all the routes. We are praying for a car to have the mobility.
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