28376: Lyall (comment) the bus services (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

from jdlyall:

I think there is some confusion between the Dignity/Diyete busses and the 
Service Plis. Diyete busses started showing up in the late 1990's as school 
busses. I've seen Diyete in different places around the country, north and 
Port.

Later the Service Plis came, running public bus service in Port au Prince. 
Service Plis was apparently the cooperative that is being talked about. I do 
not know who owned the Diyete busses nor who employed the staff for that 
operation.

Service Plis was a good idea. They had low prices and did not allow standees, 
in stark contrast to the prevailing public transport systems. I use 'public' 
there in the sense that it is publicly available, not ownership.

Unfortunately, the Service Plis yard was dechoukaj'd after Titid fled. This was 
after a week of burning banks and gas stations and private homes by the 
chimeres, which no one wants to talk about these days.

This habit of trashing the symbols of whatever previous regime has departed is 
a real bad habit. There are burned out sugar refineries all across the country 
from the first dechoukaj after Jean-Claude took off.

I think the Diyete basically disappeard some years before Titids departure. I 
don't remember seeing them for some time. Probably along with the state schools 
which shut down cause they refused to pay the teachers.

I was able to get on a Service Plis only once. They were always full.

The government bought some Mercedes Taxi's and gave them to one of the 
Chauffers unions too. Seems like a lot of money. I rode in one of those once. 
It needed positraction.