Powerful drivers and meek passengers: on the buses in Santiago

Abstract

Unlike walking, driving or travelling by train, little has been written about bus travel. But imperialism and capitalism have always been premised on traffic; closely connected to traffic is speed. And both traffic and speed are woven into today’s economic, social, political, even aesthetic and cultural hierarchies; they are linked, ultimately, to power. The evolution of the transport system in Santiago reveals not only the nature of the power relations between bus drivers and passengers, but is also a microcosm of the impact of neo-liberal economic policies.