Transantiago vignette

When I first arrived in Chile in 2007, they had just initiated a new transit system in Santiago, the Transantiago bus/metro system. To me, it was efficient and logical, but to the Santiaguinos who were used to frequent, empty, cheap buses (which contributed to the terrible smog) it was an infuriating change. My first trip to Chile was marked by regular protests and strikes of the bus system. Things have calmed down in the past three years, however, and now most people, though still dissatisfied with Transantiago, have come to accept it as part of life in the city.

I am a privileged gringa because I get to spend an average of three hours a day on the metros and micros of Transantiago. Although I teach English for a living, I consider myself more of an anthropologist by vocation, and I can assure you there are few situations better suited for anthropological study than public transportation. I can classify almost any Santiaguino into one of two categories: metro riders and micro riders. Metro riders value efficiency and speed and they prefer not to talk to strangers. When you ride the metro, no one looks at each other, everyone stares at the ground in front of them in silence. You can be packed in at rush hour, your body pressed up against five other people, and yet you still have to find a way not to make eye contact with anyone. Metro riders wear black.

Micro riders, on the other hand, would rather have a nice view and save a few cents than get to their destination quickly; they are generally friendlier and will always give up their seats for an old lady or pregnant woman. Someone is always striking up a conversation with me, teenage boys sit in the back of the bus and play reggaeton on their cell phones, and the drivers usually say hello to the passengers as they board. There's always a vendor or musician who hops on board to peddle chocolate, flashlights, pens, books, or play some Chilean folk music. Certainly it's more fascinating than the metro.

Generally speaking, I consider myself a micro person because I save money on the transfer, I enjoy the view, and I like the entertainment. But yesterday I had the worst public transportation experience of my life, and it made me realize why so many people are still so bitter about Transantiago.

I was leaving work in the south of the city and the bus was running 15 minutes late. There was a line of people at the stop waiting with me, and when the bus finally came it was already packed, forcing us to cram in as close as possible. When I made it past the turnstile I noticed a rank smell and realized someone had vomited on the floor. There was a big spot covered in ripped up newspaper that had already been trodden on, over which no one wanted to stand (naturally), so the already crowded bus had even less room. So we're standing here, running late, packed in, trying not to step in vomit but not being able to avoid the smell, which just makes you want to throw up yourself.

Bad enough, no? Well I finally found a spot where I could hold on to a pole and not have to step in the mess on my way out the door, when this homeless man boards the bus from the back without paying. The guy looks like he was just discharged from the hospital; his arm is in a cast, his face is bruised and bleeding, he's got blood on his shirt and hands, and he smells like he hasn't showered since the era of Pinochet. He's about two feet taller than me, and he's got his natty hair wrapped up in one of those Palestinian bandanas, and he's wearing combat boots. He was a pretty intimidating figure, and naturally, he comes to stand right next to me. The old lady standing nearby holds her nose and scoots to a different corner of the bus to avoid smelling him. So there I am, trapped between the homeless man who looks like he just got into a brawl and the puddle of vomit covered in shoddy newspaper, running late for my next class all because the micro ride was free. I think after all, I might become a metro person.