anonmom Posted September 13, 2018 #1 Share Posted September 13, 2018 Does anyone know of a classic car tour operator that uses cars retrofitted with 3 seat belts in the back seat? I know Blexie is very popular, but his cars do not have seat belts. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloraGil Posted September 13, 2018 #2 Share Posted September 13, 2018 You'll be hard put to find any commercial car in Cuba, besides maybe a few of the newest taxis,.with seat belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonmom Posted September 14, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted September 14, 2018 Hmm, I was worried this might be the case. I guess I'll start researching the bus! Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookish Angel Posted September 16, 2018 #4 Share Posted September 16, 2018 Hmm, I was worried this might be the case. I guess I'll start researching the bus! Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app This is my concern as well as I will not ride in a car without seat belts. We will probably just do a walking tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonmom Posted September 16, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted September 16, 2018 We are definitely going to walk from the port to a couple of paladares in old Havana, and then down the Malecon, but I was really hoping to see Fusterlandia, which would definitely require a bus ride. I ordered a Havana guide that supposedly talks about "real Havana" including public transportation, so hopefully that will tell me something. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Cruiser Posted September 20, 2018 #6 Share Posted September 20, 2018 This is my concern as well as I will not ride in a car without seat belts. We will probably just do a walking tour. Seat belts were not even thought of when these vehicles were manufactured. We toured for 6 hours and had no issues, drivers were very good as were driving conditions. Returning in November to see and do more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebslcc Posted September 20, 2018 #7 Share Posted September 20, 2018 Does anyone know of a classic car tour operator that uses cars retrofitted with 3 seat belts in the back seat? I know Blexie is very popular, but his cars do not have seat belts. I asked the private tour company we are booking with for our December cruise about seat belts and car safety. Here is his answer from Roly the owner: On Mon, Sep 17, 2018 at 8:11 AM Roly Torres <rolyincuba@nauta.cu> wrote: Hi Laurence, In 7 years we never had an accident. We have had minor breakdowns that were fixed on a couple of minutes by the driver or we got another one to continue. We are not racing. We are touring. None of the American vintage cars in Cuba have seat belt. The company is Havana Memories. I am very impressed with their excellent communications and solid reviews on TripAdvisor and on Cruise Critic. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147271-d6132524-Reviews-Havana_Memories-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victory2020 Posted September 20, 2018 #8 Share Posted September 20, 2018 Hmm, I was worried this might be the case. I guess I'll start researching the bus! Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app No seatbelts, but busses don't have them either, do they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Cruiser Posted September 21, 2018 #9 Share Posted September 21, 2018 No seatbelts, but busses don't have them either, do they? Nope - no seat belts on busses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookish Angel Posted September 22, 2018 #10 Share Posted September 22, 2018 I have read on more than one travel site that the "official" yellow taxis have seat belts. We will use those or request a modern car that has them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailor_Sally Posted September 22, 2018 #11 Share Posted September 22, 2018 I have read on more than one travel site that the "official" yellow taxis have seat belts. We will use those or request a modern car that has them. There are no car dealerships in Cuba . The government buys cars every few years and these are the government run taxis .Other than the old cars and an occasional Yugo modern cars are almost non existent in Cuba. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Cruiser Posted September 22, 2018 #12 Share Posted September 22, 2018 I have read on more than one travel site that the "official" yellow taxis have seat belts. We will use those or request a modern car that has them. There are no "modern" cars. May I ask, what is the issue with seat belts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookish Angel Posted September 23, 2018 #13 Share Posted September 23, 2018 There are no "modern" cars. May I ask, what is the issue with seat belts? Personal safety. As to "no modern cars," this is a reply from Blexie, leading me to believe that there are modern tour vehicles. If not, we will simply walk. Hi: Classic cars don’t have seat belts .In Cuba you only wear seat belts if the car is newer than 1999 and only in the front seats. If you want to do the toirnin a modern car ,you will have seat belts. El El dom, sep. 16, 2018 a las 8:20 a. m.,escribió: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbenjamin Posted September 23, 2018 #14 Share Posted September 23, 2018 There are no "modern" cars.May I ask, what is the issue with seat belts? That's just silly. There are no "modern" American cars but plenty of cars from other countries. This is adjacent to Parque Céspedes in Santiago de Cuba... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Cruiser Posted September 23, 2018 #15 Share Posted September 23, 2018 My error in not expounding as I am well aware of foreign vehicles including Mercedes, but are not part of the classic car tours or taxis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offsailn Posted October 3, 2018 #16 Share Posted October 3, 2018 The classic Cadillac the we booked had no seat belts. You have to understand that these cars look great from the outside but many are held together with bailing wire and duct tape. It was a 2 door coupe and they had to prop the front seat up with a rubber block. I believe that the experience is worth the exposure. It’s far more dangerous dodging the traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medtech2 Posted October 3, 2018 #17 Share Posted October 3, 2018 We toured with one of Blexie's cars and our driver was extremely cautious and excellent. The street lights all have timers counting down and he would stop even when there were still a few seconds left of green. I have never felt safer. There were no crazy drivers that I ever saw. The newer cars you see are all government owned. The regular people, by Cuban law, cannot own a car newer than 1959. The busses I saw in passing were super crowded and run down looking. I would not hesitate to tour with one of Blexie's drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbenjamin Posted October 4, 2018 #18 Share Posted October 4, 2018 We toured with one of Blexie's cars and our driver was extremely cautious and excellent. The street lights all have timers counting down and he would stop even when there were still a few seconds left of green. I have never felt safer. There were no crazy drivers that I ever saw. The newer cars you see are all government owned. The regular people, by Cuban law, cannot own a car newer than 1959. The busses I saw in passing were super crowded and run down looking. I would not hesitate to tour with one of Blexie's drivers. Can you supply a source for that? I've never heard it before and from what I have read the rules changed in 2014 and the only thing that restricts the average Cuban from buying a new car is the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbenjamin Posted October 4, 2018 #19 Share Posted October 4, 2018 http://www.cubatrademagazine.com/cuba-yearning-auto-sector/ Subsequently, Decree 320, approved in December 2013, completely liberalized the sale and purchases of cars. This law established that Cuban citizens “could purchase through state commercial entities internal combustion cycles, motorbikes, cars, rural cars, vans, SUVs and mini-buses.” For the first time in 51 years, Cubans could buy a new or used motor vehicle without restrictions. However, a major obstacle emerged: very high prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medtech2 Posted October 4, 2018 #20 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Can you supply a source for that? I've never heard it before and from what I have read the rules changed in 2014 and the only thing that restricts the average Cuban from buying a new car is the cost. From our tour guide Raul. I just googled it and you’re right, it has changed recently but it was a law previously. I guess in the average person’s mind it may as well still be in effect since most people cannot afford to buy anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookish Angel Posted October 6, 2018 #21 Share Posted October 6, 2018 anonmom, Blexie replied that my husband and I can get a van with working seat belts. I costs $50 more for the 6-hour tour but that is fine with us. Of course, now I imagine a 1970's party van with orange shag carpet, teardrop-shaped windows, 8-track tape player and Grateful Dead bumper stickers. I can relive my adolescence for a few hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JawjaFatBoy Posted October 18, 2018 #22 Share Posted October 18, 2018 I simply do not see the big issue with seat belts. It's only been fairly recently that wearing seatbelts was mandatory. Cars weren't required to have them until I believe 1968. Heck, it's only been a few years now that it became mandatory to wear them in a pickup here in Georgia. And no, I do not wear one every time I drive. It's a tour, not Gran Tourismo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardb Posted October 21, 2018 #23 Share Posted October 21, 2018 On 9/14/2018 at 2:38 PM, anonmom said: Hmm, I was worried this might be the case. I guess I'll start researching the bus! Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app Be prepared to stand the full trip. The buses we saw were packed, standing room only. My take is it is safer to sit, un-belted, than to stand and risk a fall. I suppose if you are older, someone younger might offer you their seat, but don't count on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go-Bucks! Posted October 21, 2018 #24 Share Posted October 21, 2018 On 10/3/2018 at 1:38 PM, Offsailn said: You have to understand that these cars look great from the outside but many are held together with bailing wire and duct tape. It was a 2 door coupe and they had to prop the front seat up with a rubber block. I believe that the experience is worth the exposure. We had one gorgeous like-new classic car, one not-bad classic car and one that had a metal bar right behind the front seat going from one side of the car to the other! And there were wires keeping the window cranks from letting the windows go down!! It was such a piece of junk that seat belts were the least of our worries! 😜 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookish Angel Posted March 17, 2019 #25 Share Posted March 17, 2019 (edited) Cars with working seat belts ARE definitely available in Havana. Our Blexie tour with with Rosio as our guide was in a well-maintained Kia with working seat belts and good air conditioning. It cost $50 more for the two of us but well worth it for our piece of mind. Edited March 17, 2019 by Bookish Angel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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