I'VE ALWAYS BEEN amazed at our ability as Jamaicans to come up with ingenious ways to make the most out of the little we have regardless how dangerous it may be.
The way we come up with strategies to milk the very last dime out of everything has always fascinated me to the point that I think that it is one of our many talents that should be exported.
SEATING ARRANGEMENT
In case you are puzzled by what I'm talking about the next time you take a Ground A320 plane (Hiace buses) or the A380 ones (coaster buses) that fly on our roads in both Kingston and rural Jamaica just look at how the seats are organised.
In the Hiace bus, the original seats are often removed and a 'custom built' one is placed in the bus. Now, the difference between customised seats and the original bus seats is simple. The modified seat holds four people or sometimes five, quite comfortably I might add, while the regular one seats three people quite uncomfortably.
Even a 6 foot 4 inches tall guy like me has no problem fitting in these seats on our Ground A320s. I found this out while on a trip to Montego Bay recently and was hurrying and the conductor assured me I would fit. "Tall man nuh worry yuhself.
SHAQ SIZE
Even Shaquille Oneal could a hol' roun' deh," he assured me as he directed me to a seat. Surprisingly, I fitted quite snugly. To be honest, three other people sat comfortably beside me as the driver went through the Bog Walk gorge and over Mount Rosser at speeds to make the Concorde look like a snail.
Then comes the ground A380. While those seats are yet to be modified in any great way, I believe that it is only a matter of time before they find a way to 'customise' these buses fully.
JAMAICAN 'ENGINEERS'
But, a little customisation has taken place with the middle seats. For those of you who take the A380s you'll know these seats are uncomfortable. But, our Jamaican 'engineers' have worked around the problem. Some have placed benches under the seats and put a sponge on the back rest. Others have made the seat with the ability to unfold into taller seats. All this is done in an effort to ensure that five or six people are seated in a row. Seriously, there are probably safety issues apart from speeding as the buses are most naturally overloaded. But hey, its all about making as much money out of the little available.
Of course, I must add that these 'innovations' will continue until one of our Government ministers experience a ride first-hand. It would be a lovely experience for them don't you think?
Do
you have a problem? Is something bothering
you? Write to 