Tap taps are gaily painted buses[1] or pick-up trucks[2] that serve as share taxis in Haiti.
Literally meaning "quick quick",[3] these vehicles for hire are privately owned and beautifully decorated.[1] They follow fixed routes and won't leave until filled with passengers, and riders can disembark at any point in the journey.[4]
Visitors to Haiti are warned not to travel in tap taps, as doing so is allegedly unsafe. Locals generally disagree. In any case, locals often use the term camionette, whereas Dominicans generally use the word guagua.[5] Nearby Caribbean islands use terms like dollar van for much the same thing.
Contents |
Often painted with religious names or slogans,[3] the tap tap is known for its lavish decoration and many feature wild colors, portraits of famous people, and intricate, hand-cut wooden window covers.[1]
Routes and stations are increasingly mapped by grassroots volunteers online, thanks to the Wikipedia-like global community-mapping project OpenStreetMap. Likewise far East of Port-au-Prince, Santa Domingo has a beautiful public transit map showing major routes.
Many developed countries inform their citizens to not take tap taps when visiting Haiti. Many locals however strongly disagree, pointing to motorcycles ("food for tap-taps") as a far more veritable danger.
While saying not to use any form of public transport in Haiti, the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against tap tap travel especially.[6]
The US State Department warns travelers not to use tap taps "because they are often overloaded, mechanically unsound, and driven unsafely."[7]