Transportation woes

Oh El Salvador...how I love your constant lack of professionalism! :)

The other day, Hugo and I were stopped at a traffic light. In the lane to the right was a pickup truck. Approaching from the left, I spotted two traffic cops. They passed our car and approached the pickup truck's driver-side window. I was confused. We were all just sitting at the red light. What could that drive have possibly done wrong? The driver rolled down his window and exchanged a few words with the officers. Then, he rolled up his window and the officers jumped into the bed of the truck. I asked Hugo what was going on. He said the officers probably needed a ride somewhere. That baffled me on so many levels. Where was the police officers' car? If they didn't have a car, why didn't they ride the bus? Why was it ok for people (and police officers, no less!) to ride in the bed of a truck?!

One day during his morning break, Hugo called to tell me about his morning. He had arrived at work almost an hour late. I was surprised he was late because he had left the house on time. He said he had LOTS of trouble with the bus that morning. First, the driver needed to get gas. So, he pulled into the busy gas station, with a full bus, and waited in line for an available pump. After filling the tank, the driver had to wait in line to pay. Finally, the bus was back on the road. A few miles later, the bus was pulled over by the police. Each bus has two doors...one at the front to enter and pay, one at the back to exit. Sometimes the bus gets so full that people stand in the doorway of the back exit...which is illegal. The police officers pulled the driver over to give him a ticket for people standing in the exit. When the officers attempted to write the ticket, they found out the driver didn't have a license. They made the driver stop driving and all the passengers de-bus. The police had stopped the bus several blocks away from the nearest bus stop. Everyone on Hugo's bus had to walk down to the next stop. Because it was so late in the morning and so near the center, all the approaching buses were full. He had to wait for close to 20 minutes until a bus would stop and admit passengers. Drama.

Four nights in a row, the news featured stories of horrific bus accidents. One day, there was an accident involving four buses and a semi. Thirteen people died at the scene and 96 were taken to the hospital. As a result, the police started cracking down on bus safety. At various places around the city, they set up traffic stops and checked each bus as it came by. The police were checking for valid driver's licenses, signs of intoxication or drug use (which is very common), and overall safety of the buses (brakes, worn tires, etc). The first day of traffic stops, 96% of drivers stopped didn't have licenses. When the police found a driver without a license, they made him stop driving and all the passengers get off the bus. For days after, the news featured stories about the rioting bus drivers who no longer had jobs. In order to get a driver's license, they had to pay their previous traffic tickets. Because so many of the drivers had been driving for so long without licenses, most had thousands of dollars in fines. They had no way to pay the fines and get their license. The drivers were mad at the police...blaming them for their excessive fines and lack of future income. Right...like it's the police's fault you were driving without a license...stupid people. Plus, you know the police will lose interest after a few days and all those drivers without licenses will be back behind the wheel.