After the US Trade Embargo in 1961, Cubans lost access to the US auto market. Instead Russian cars were available, but they were rationed, so there weren’t that many for sale. The only way to buy a new car was through the government, but taxes for new vehicles were extremely high. Coupled with so little income, Cubans couldn’t afford new cars for decades. Instead they repaired their old ones over and over.

Some of these cars have parts from four or five different vehicles, giving them the nickname 'Frankencars.' Some of them use boat engines or even lawn mower engines to keep them on the road. One car I rode in looked like it was from the 1950s, but the steering wheel said 'Toyota' on it and the seats were couch cushions.

Most of these cars operate as taxis. In Old Havana you’ll find a lot of the nicer ones that look fancy and have shiny paint jobs. Those are more expensive to ride in.

"But if you get a really shitty one, with the not so good paint job, with the seats in the back that are bouncing with every pot hole, then it’s fine." Viatkin said. "It’s just a regular taxi."

These taxis are called Collectivos. The fare is really cheap, about 80 cents, but don’t expect them to have any safety features like airbags.

"I’ve never seen a car with a seat belt in Cuba, never," Viatkin said.

Getting into pretty much any car in Cuba is going to have its risks.

Many Cubans are dependent on their collectivos for income, so cars are very valuable here. Families will even pass down their one car through several generations. To give you an idea of how important these cars are, I spoke with Youtube Vlogger Elizabeth Viatkin. She told me about a conservation she had with one of her cab drivers.

"This taxi driver we had, bought this car, it was like a 1996 Peugeot, that he bought already ten years used. He bought it in 2006. And he bought it for 30,000 CUCs, but someone is offering him 40,000 CUCs. I was telling him, why don’t you sell it? He said, 'how am I going to live without the car? That’s my livelihood.'"

Havana Streets