Alternativetransport

Public transportation in Rio de Janeiro has had chronic problems since the 19th century. And the ones who have always had the most to complain about are indeed the population of the suburbs. It's in this centuries-old context of unmet demands that a form of transportation emerges that the Carioca suburbanite knows so well: alternative means of transport.

In the 1950s and 60s, there were the “lotações”: vehicles privately owned by the “chofer” or by small companies, some carrying up to seven passengers; others, meanwhile, were almost the size of conventional buses. In the 1970s and 80s, it was the Kombis that filled Rio de Janeiro's main roads. But nothing compares to the phenomenon of the vans, which for almost two decades have had the routes of Rio's suburbs as their main destination

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a group of people waiting for a bus on the sidewalk to the left. On the right, an old bus is stopped on the street. The people are spread out along the sidewalk, some standing, others walking. The bus has the number "46" written on its side. There are large trees behind the people, and in the background, we can see a building and power lines. In the upper left corner, it reads "ARQUIVO NACIONAL".

The history of vans in Rio de Janeiro dates back to the 1990s. Beyond the chronic demand for service in the areas most neglected by public authorities, a number of factors contributed to the van boom. One of them was the introduction of the Real as Brazil's new currency, which at the time was worth more than the Dollar and favored the import of goods — among them vans, produced mainly by Japanese and Korean automakers, which flooded the streets of Rio de Janeiro in 1995.

It didn't take long for this model to become a popular mode of transport in the suburbs. After all, passengers traveled in more comfort, trips were faster, the wait between one van and another was shorter and (most importantly), it was often the only way to reach many neighborhoods. However, the history of van transport is marked by the fine line between the legal and the legitimate, where the bidding processes opened by the State often end up excluding thousands of workers, who end up operating irregularly.

Riding a van in Rio de Janeiro often means going on an adventure, and practically every suburban commuter knows what it's like to be inside this means of transportation. While on the one hand nobody rides (or should ride) standing up, as on trains and buses, that doesn't mean passengers shouldn't hold on tight during the trip. In vans, it's a good idea to check whether the seatbelts (when there are any) are buckled, since the sudden starts and stops, high speeds, and sharp curves are all part of the ride in these vehicles.

Image description: The image is a photograph of a busy street with several vehicles. On the left side, there is a white bus with pink and green details. In front of it, a pedestrian walks along the sidewalk. In the center of the image, other vehicles, including cars and more buses, are stopped or moving. On the right, another white bus with pink and green details stands out. The background features tall buildings and green trees.

Every Rio suburbanite knows this sequence of sounds well: at the edge of the bus stop, a voice announces the vehicle's arrival and shouts out the destinations ("Santa Cruz!", "Madureira!", "Campo Grande", or any of a myriad of neighborhoods). Before vans adopted the electronic ticket system, the fare collector was a fixture of this mode of transport — and still is in many cases. It's not simply a matter of collecting fares and handing out change, but there's a whole operation to be carried out: from announcing the route and "hooking" passengers on the street to being responsible for opening and closing the sliding door. These are basic fundamentals in the day-to-day running of vans, but ones that require skill and cunning.

Image description: The image is a photograph of a white minibus with colorful details on the side. On the front of the vehicle, there is a stripe in green, yellow, and blue. Inside the minibus, several people are seated. A man is stepping out of the minibus, wearing a red shirt and striped shorts. He gives a thumbs-up with his right hand. Other passengers are seated behind him, some looking out of the minibus. In the background, other vehicles and trees are visible.

There's no denying it: it's hard to find any suburban van rider who hasn't experienced a situation or witnessed a scene in these vehicles that made them think “this could only happen in Rio de Janeiro!”. Between a nervous laugh, a heated argument, and shared mishaps, the roads to the suburbs are filled up.