HAVANA, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Among the classic cars, mopeds and rickshaws Cubans use to get around the capital city Havana, a new kind of ride is hitting the streets – bamboo bicycles made by a local workshop.
Velo Cuba, a bike shop and tour company, produces the lightweight, eco-friendly options as part of a program funded by the Netherlands' embassy in the country.
The two-wheelers can already be seen being taken for a spin by visitors to the city's zoo and along the coast.
"There are 28 species of bamboo in Cuba," said Velo Cuba founder Nayvis Diaz. "Fortunately, here we have the two, three species needed to make these bicycles."
[1/5]Nayvis Dias, founder of Velo Cuba, shows eco-friendly bamboo bicycles at her office in Havana, Cuba, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini Acquire Licensing Rights
The workshop has partnered with volunteers from stay-at-home mothers to the deaf community to teach residents how to make the bikes and repair them.
"It's important for us to learn a profession," said Yaquelin Gonzalez, who is deaf. "This will help us in the future."
Some of those who take Velo's course may become employed by the bike shop in the future, Diaz said, or may open their own small businesses.
Transportation and steady employment are both chronic issues in Cuba, where the economy was hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Cuba largely blames Cold War-era sanctions from the United States as holding back its economic growth, and the embargo means a lack of imported cars have caused residents to rely on decades-old models or mopeds from China, which began to arrive in the 1990s.
Reporting by Mario Fuentes for Reuters TV; Writing by Nelson Acosta and Kylie Madry; Editing by Bill Berkrot
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Hedge fund JAT Capital urged the board of internet retailer Overstock.com to replace the company's chief executive officer, arguing that Jonathan E. Johnson III is to blame for poor financial performance.
Britain's competition watchdog said on Friday it had accepted commitments from tech companies Meta and Amazon to help protect fair competition on their retail platforms.
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.
Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology.
The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs.
The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals.
Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile.
Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts.
Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks.
All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.
© 2023 Reuters. All rights reserved
Eco-friendly bamboo bicycles hit the streets in Cuba – Reuters
03 Nov