Why Cuban cab drivers earn more than doctors

[El Presidente]

Nothing new in this article for those who know Cuba well. However an interesting read for those unfamiliar.

http://www.vox.com/2015/10/26/9593658/cuban-castro-taxi-driver-doctor-economy

[Orion21]

Entrepreneurs are the ones who take risks and create businesses. Businesses can create real wealth even in economies like Cuba's. Congrats to this guy for taking a risk and making the best of it.

$45 per month for a doctor? Now I feel guilty for spending $25 at lunch today! Central planning has always driven down incomes for the "workers" and kept most of the wealth with the government and a select few. Cuba is an amazing example of how wage growth hasn't occurred in almost 60 years.

[MIKA27]

WOW, I was unaware of this sort of thing..

I always knew there were big differences but I'd still have assumed a doctor would earn the most.

So...Cuban doctors could always take up Uber

A simple Bulk Bill visit here is around $75 bucks per visit, goes to show the MAJOR differences.

[Olga]

$1500 a month in Cuba WOW!

[Ken Gargett]

i remember on one of my first visits, a woman taxi driver there. turned out she was a highly qualified doctor but sick of earning nothing so she had swapped. i also remember chatting with one driver who was previously an international pilot. more money in being a cabbie.

a few years ago, a mate told me about a sydney dinner party where some woman, wife of a very wealthy specialist, regaled the table about her solidarity with the cuban people and their struggle. not that she'd ever been to cuba. you can just imagine the type. this was a woman with kids at private schools, umpteen cars, annual holidays at their skiing lodge at aspen etc etc.

i remember that i thought that if a specialist and his wife were at friend for dinner in havana, they'd get home on a bus. or hitching.

it remains one of the great regrets of my life that i was not at that dinner. i would so dearly loved to discuss her 'solidarity'.

[santela]

The same thing happened in China in the 80s and early 90s. Cab drivers were making around $1500 while everyone else made about $100ish.

[TCContender]

The same thing happened in China in the 80s and early 90s. Cab drivers were making around $1500 while everyone else made about $100ish.

Especially those sneaky SOBs outside of the Shanghai Maglev station at Longyang Lu.

[BMWBen]

Wow that's interesting, its always surprising to read something like this about a place you never hear about in the news (In the U.S at least) and seeing just how little they have progressed in the last 60 or 70 years. Good for the cab driver to take a risk and be rewarded with a better living

[AussieCanuck]

Having been to Cuba three times over the last 5 years this is no suprise to me. Lugging your rum and Cristal infused liver and nicotine tainted system around in 30+ degrees is no fun . The taxi drivers deserve every cent. On top of that they are always willing to share a story or some Havana history with you. Had a great long chat with the driver of a 'Coco' cab on the Malecon back in July this year. We we're waiting on a replacement cab because he ran out of gas (third time this has happened to me) and were stopped just opposite the US embassy to be. Had a good chat re US/Cuba relations, his interests, family etc.

On a side note, if going to El Aljibe restaurant from the Nacional with two other adults, take a proper cab not a Coco taxi. It's too long and bumpy a trip to be squished into one of those taxis

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Merovius]

How hard is it to get your MD in Cuba though...some residency programs in the states don't even recognize degrees from Hawaii...just sayin'.

Still fubar though...