A video posted on Facebook by the user Alfredo Torres shows a woman pedaling a tricycle taxi through the streets of Houston, Texas, sparking a wave of comments among the Cuban community in the United States.
The clip shows the author's perspective from their vehicle. You can see several tricycles moving along the road, in both directions.
Torres humorously comments: "Look, there are even bike taxis here. They say there aren't, but there are. This looks like Cuba. Look over there, crossing, a woman pedaling, and then they say there aren't any. This is the United States."
The comment he made on the video leaves no room for doubt about his interpretation of the phenomenon: "Now this is really messed up. This is what the rise in gas prices does."
The reference is not incidental: the price of gasoline in the United States reached $4.07 per gallon on March 16, an increase of 25.6% compared to the previous month and 18.7% year-on-year.
Bicitaxis —or pedicabs, as they are called in English— have a legal and regulated presence in Houston. Companies like Tribe Rides Pedicabs operate with a license in the city, specializing in tours and sporting events in areas like NRG Stadium.
However, many new operators violate traffic laws, driving against traffic, cutting into parking spaces, and putting their passengers at risk. The situation has prompted calls for stricter regulations from the Houston City Council, including speed limits, caps on the number of permits issued, and increased oversight by the police and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
This video has a different interpretation within the Cuban community: one filled with humor and nostalgia. A user explained, "Here in Miami, they do it during the F-1, and it really helps with the transportation of people from the parking lots to the circuit."
Bicitaxis are a symbol of Cuban entrepreneurial ingenuity, born during the Special Period of the 90s in response to fuel shortages and the collapse of public transportation.
In Cuba, they charge starting from 200 Cuban pesos for a short trip, and they are subject to a 2017 law that restricts the operation of bicitaxis, which prohibits traveling outside of the registered municipality, under penalty of fines ranging from 700 to 1,000 pesos or the confiscation of the vehicle.
This is not the first sighting of cycle-taxis in the United States that has generated viral reactions in the diaspora. In 2023, they began to appear in Miami, provoking similar reactions of identification and humor among the Cuban residents in that city.
Houston, with an estimated Cuban community of around 100,000 people, now joins that list. Thousands of immigrants from the island choose this city as one of the preferred destinations to settle in the United States, which partially explains the strong response the video received on social media.
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