On Thursday, Transantiago raised its prices again. Micro rides are now $480 pesos, normal hour metro rides (or any combination with a metro) are $500 and peak hours on the metro now cost $560 pesos. When I first arrived in Santiago in 2007, right before the institution of Transantiago, it cost $380 pesos for the micro/metro and $420 for peak hours on the metro.
In honor of their price increase, Transantiago decided to sponsor some downright strange events aboard their vehicles, starring a crazy old homeless man, many inebriated fellows and one creepy guy with me, a micro driver and some onlookers in supporting roles
Act One: Crazy Homeless Man
Scene: Micro 503 on Providencia, around 12:30 PM. I am standing near the front, looking bored, wondering how long the line at Servipag will be.
Enter Crazy Homeless Man. CHM takes a wet dirty shoe out of his bag and then takes some soggy 1000 peso bills out of the shoe. I space out, wondering if I'll have time to eat lunch today.
CHM: Conshe***** cul**** por qué ch***** me estaí mirando?
I look around to see who he's talking to. Realize he's talking to me. Realize I may have spaced out in his general direction.
CHM: *&$(CHM: *&$($&@)@)!&(@*!!!
amp;@)@)!&(@*!!!
CHM starts advancing towards me and I look around to see if anyone is going to help me. Some old women look at each other and a guy with headphones in yawns. I have to get off soon anyway, so I move towards the exit.
CHM: &!^@%#^+#*@&
Bus driver realizes what is happening and stops the bus, comes back and makes CHM get off the bus.
Me: Gracias.
Busdriver: No hay de que. Hay que respetar a las señoritas.
I think, don't we have to respect everyone? But ok. I get off the bus at the next stop and wait 40 minutes in line at the ServiPag.
Act Two: Flaites Curados
Scene: Metro Line One, Direction San Pablo, 8:00 PM. I am on a crowded train somewhere near the door. I smell stale alcohol. Three young men behind me speak in coa and are obviously inebriated.
Flaite 1: Santa Lucia, bajamos ahi y nos tomamos la micro (unintelligible)
Flaite 2: No (unintelligible) bajamos en Baquedanos y tomamos la linea 5 (unintelligible)
Flaite 3: (Unintelligible, but something about some girl on the train, vulgar)
I look towards the area between cars to see if I can move away from these guys. They give me the creeps and smell like booze. The train stops at Salvador and I begin to move away from them.
Flaite 1: Adone vai linda? Tan linda, tan preciosa.
Flaite 2: Uuuuy siiii. Que rrrrrica la rubiacita.
Flaite 3: Sí, mira que sonría un poco. Iwal le gusta.
I do not smile one bit and successfully move a bit away. The flaites keep talking about me.
Onlooker 1: Dején de huevearla, por dios que son desubicaos.
Flaite 2: (Unintelligible, but something vulgar about Onlooker 1)
Thankfully, they decide to get off at Baquedano and take Line 5 to wherever they were going.
Act Three: Drunken Rowdiness to Really Bad Flute in B flat.
7 comments:
Good for the Santiaguinos who defended you! Nice to hear that on occasion some will actually speak up.
According to my unofficial statistics, you´re very lucky Abby. People in Santiago hardly ever help each other, and even less people help others in Transantiago.
There´s something I don´t understand. Bus rides and metro rides have different prices, but I remember that when I got a micro ride, metro was for free, and vice-versa.
If I get off the micro and use the metro, they will charge me the difference?
Since I was actualy party to the really bad flute playing, I was looking forward to that part. I'll have to check back and see how you write it up. It certainly was a fantastic use of all the new Transantiago money to get all those people in concert (pun intended) to hassle you!
Yes, it was quite miraculous that anyone helped me. Although I was worried that the confrontation on the metro was going to get kind of dicey....
Marmo- It used to be that way, but I suppose (I haven't actually tried it out) that they now charge the difference. Maybe to give an incentive to people to take the buses instead of the metro...I'm not sure.
Eileen- it's coming! i just felt that this post was getting a bit longish.
Shame on Transantiago for raising rates. Still, compared to the US that's incredibly cheap - the DC metro costs up to $4.50 one way (peak), & in July it's going up by several dollars.
I know things are different when you're *paid* in pesos too ... but still, it always shocks me how awful public transportation is in the US, especially in comparison with other countries.
Good luck staying away from the flaites, too!
Abby, how scary! I've been in Chile almost one year and I still haven't been on the bus. Reason? What you stated and the fact that my mom has similar stories. Is it wrong that I'm FOR raising prices so that some people simply won't get on? Granted, I KNOW that doesn't imply that danger won't surround you AND I get that it's me being scared.
I hate that feeling here. It sucks. I'm sorry you had/have to go through that but you have been so fortunate that people have helped you out.
Haha. That is like my life! I once got stuck on a bus next to a clown. I thought it was going to end badly but I ignored him so much that he picked on another gringa.
Post a Comment