User:Catlady54/Rafael picon founder of the first local bus transit system in Cardenas, Cuba

User:Catlady54/Rafael Picon founder of the first local bus transit system in Cardenas, Cuba

In 1929, Mr.Rafael Picon founded the first local bus transit system in Cardenas, Cuba, where until then, the transit system was by way of "The Cardenas Tramway(tranvia)". The Cárdenas Tramway cars were built by the St Louis Car Company, St. Louis, MO. By 1929, the Tranvía had begun to experience a lot of competition from the bus service initiated in the city by Mr. Picón, who offered service not only in the developed areas of the city, but also to the newer growth areas not reached by the less-flexible rail system. Cuban historian and Cardenas native, Herminio Portell-Vila points out that the enterprise was never properly funded and that this problem became more acute in its later years. The death knell of the Cardenas Tramway system was the stock crash of 1929 and the ensuing great depression, which made it impossible to obtain spare parts for the system. The system ceased operations in mid-1929 and the cars were eventually sold to an unknown Latin America county.

"Empresa Picon" was founded, and it eventually became a family operated business. Owned and operated by Mr. Rafael Picon and his sons: Rafael Jr., Humberto and Salvador Picon. Mr. Rafael Picon died in 1958, thus leaving his business to his three sons. His sons continued running the business successfully until 1960, when the Castro regime confiscated all privately owned businesses.

Source: delafe.com/cardenas/tranvia/tranviae.htm

Source: Martha E. Picon, Mr. Picon's granddaughter, offspring of Humberto Picon.