The Buses of Caracas

The transportation system in Caracas, Venezuela is as anachronistic as it is resilient. Many buses in daily operation are 50 to 60 years old, and are primarily used by the city’s poorest residents, as the metro does not reach many low-income areas. These buses were originally purchased during Venezuela’s economic golden age in the 1970s, when companies could afford high-quality German vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. Today those buses are kept running through improvised repairs and homemade parts.

Cipriano Martinez has been a bus driver for 30 years. He lives by himself in a rented room in Catia and eats most of his meals from a food stand near the garage before or after work. Every day, from 6am to 6pm, he drives a 1973 bus along the Magallanes de Catia-Chacaito route. Photographer Vladimir Marcano documents a day in Martinez’s life behind the wheel of one of these aging giants.