Havana Transportation Director Sacked

HAVANA TIMES — The director of Havana’s Transportation Department, Joel Beltran Archer, was “relieved of his duties” this past Saturday during a meeting with top government officials in Havana, reports the Café Fuerte website.

In the face of the continuing deterioration of transportation services, this extreme measure was taken by the Provincial Assembly of People’s Power, which is also proposing to look into disciplinary actions against other executives of that department.

“The situation is really serious and there’s concern at the highest level. People on the street are fed up with the inefficiency and the government’s broken promises,” said an engineer associated with the Ministry of Transportation.

According to official reports, of the more than 900 buses available for the capital, less than 500 are in service, meaning that the effective public transportation capacity is less than 50 percent.