Pimp My Minibus

Whether it’s going to work or heading to the capital, riding in a minibus is part and parcel of life in Guyana. You learn the tricks of flagging down a bus pretty quickly: pointing down towards the ground means you want a “short drop” to a nearby village, while pointing towards the sky means you’re travelling all the way to Georgetown. You also get pretty good at juggling groceries as you get on and off the bus to allow other passengers to disembark. (It’s not as fun as it sounds.) And you figure out how to get the driver to stop where you want him to stop. (“Please stop across from the eggshell blue house” doesn’t work as well as simply yelling out, “Snackette on the left!”)

Each minibus is customized to reflect the personality of the driver (or in many cases the driver/conductor pair). Images of Christian, Hindu or Islamic religious symbols are common, and occasionally you’ll even see stickers with half-naked women and rappers making tough-guy faces. Given the glaring tropical sun, it’s not surprising that sun visors are common. These run across the top of the windshield and are often customized with the names of the driver and conductor pair or pictures of the driver’s children or other loved ones.

Some of the most entertaining decorations though, are the bumper-sticker-style slogans that are plastered above the windows in the passenger section of the buses. Spelling and grammar are optional, but the sayings all generally fall into four or five categories:

Basic Travel:

"Nice 2 C U Again"

"Sit & Enjoy Don't Destroy"

"We Are Not Responsible for Any Loss or Damages"

"Thanking & Wish You a Good Day"

Less Accommodating Travel:

"This Is No Burger King You Can't Have It Your Way"

References to Inside Jokes That Have No Meaning to the Average Traveler:

"Mr. Easy"

Appeals to Divine Intervention for a Safe Arrival:

"Pilote Me Oh Lord"

"Give Thanks and Praises"

And Philosophical:

"Life Always Offers You a Second Chance, It's Called Tomorrow"
Unless the Lord doesn't heed any of the abovementioned appeals.

"No Room for HATERZ"

I know this to be true. There isn't even room for my legs. Also interesting is that the woman in the picture appears to be hating as I snapped the picture.