Transcription
Here come the mothers, there's no other choice. We delay, we have to work, one has to eat. One throws oneself into it. Three hours, practically, it's yelled very badly, and they almost grab each other, and the cars always fight. Always. What do you think about spending three hours working? I've gotten used to it. They've told me that it's worse for women. It's just that I think that in the men's cars, they push each other, but they don't get to blows, and in the women's cars, they push and they do get to blows, that's what they've told me. So much stress that people carry. It's a bit far, but that's how it is. Since there isn't much lighting and all that, it's uglier. Yes. What is your work schedule? From seven to seven. How much time do you take, more or less, to get to your work? Two hours. That's a very tough schedule. 500 pesos a week just for transportation. Friends, how are you? Welcome to a new episode of "Ruido Social," the favorite program of Mexico, in Latin America, and the mix over there too. They also watch us. We are already crossing dimensions. Today we come to Pantitlán metro, friends. It's five in the morning. We had never done a "Ruido Social" this early, but this deserves it. Pantitlán, the busiest station in our city of Mexico. So many people are here. We can no longer see how they formed to enter because the metro opens at 5, but long lines form waiting for the metro's opening. And this video will be a bit "in fraganti." We are recording with the cell phone because, being a federal road, we are not allowed to record, but we will do the best we can. We will talk to people about their travel times, we will see what they do, how much they spend on transportation, well, everything about the day-to-day life of an average Mexican, people who get up to work from 4 in the morning, who, honestly, are our workforce, and it's very worthwhile to know their day-to-day life. So, accompany me to meet these people, and well, come on. Hundreds of millions of users use the metro in Mexico City. It has around 90 million monthly users. It is one of the largest transport networks in the world, with the 225 kilometers it covers, and it is also one of the cheapest in the world, costing only 5 pesos per ticket. In comparison, in Paris, for example, where it costs 45.70 pesos, in New York a ticket costs 54.41 pesos, in Tokyo 108.82 pesos, and in London 136.51 pesos. In Mexico, since December 13, 2013, the ticket has been maintained at a cost of 5 pesos, and it is one of the few in the world that allows you to transfer to other lines without having to pay another fare. And despite having many good things, unfortunately, it is far from being a good transportation system. The ticket price is not enough to cover the basic maintenance costs to guarantee its proper functioning. We have... If budgetarily, a metro ticket should... I'm not saying the ticket should be raised, it should remain at that price for many years, but someone has to pay the shortfall. A metro ticket should cost 15 pesos, which is what a ride costs the metro. The passenger pays 5 pesos, the city government subsidizes with another 5 pesos, but there is a deficit of another 5 pesos, which translates into a decrease in service. Floods, collisions, pushes, and fights are the order of the day for its occupants. Despite how dangerous it can be, the need to work is very great to stop and think about the risks involved in using it or to think about being able to afford rent in the central areas of the city. Most jobs and activities are concentrated in Mexico City. Centralization affects us in many ways. The vast majority of people have to make journeys of up to three hours to get to their work areas. Many parts of the metropolitan area of Mexico City function solely as dormitory cities, because after long workdays and long journeys, people just arrive to sleep for the next day's routine. The influx of people is so great that even living in the city, the commutes are unbearable. As they say, Mexico City is three hours from Mexico City. Travel times steal life, family or partner time, sleep hours, and change the purpose of working to enjoy a good life to living only to work. Three hours going and three hours returning to work, that adds up to 6 hours a day. In a week, that's 30 hours. In a month, that's 120 hours, and in a year, that sums up to 1440 hours. Let's assume you work at least 40 years of your life. The sum amounts to 57,600 hours. That's 2,400 days. This gives a total of 6.5 years. 6.5 years that most of Mexico's workforce will live on public transport. What is your name? Carlos. Carlos Hernández. Carlos, how long have you been selling here outside the metro? Oh, about 16 years now. A long time. What's the atmosphere like? Well, on this side, it's calm. Which side isn't calm? But that's how it is, since there isn't much lighting and all that, it's certainly uglier. Yes, but I've been here since 2 in the morning. But I also get up early. By 12 noon, I'm gone. My permit is specified from 6 in the morning to 12 noon only. Why at 2 in the morning? You realize everything I put out is piece by piece, and it's laborious. All of this takes you four hours to set up your stall. That did impact me. Four hours to set up your stall. So you start setting up at two, but you open at six? Yes, in fact, it's almost 5 in the morning. I've just finished. Are you organized at home too, to pick up, to get up? It's faster, an hour? No, like two hours, more or less. Yes, the same, because I arrange everything in order. It's not just setting up and taking down. You're spending almost a workday, four, five, six, seven hours. You can do everything with love. That's what you realize. You can do it with enthusiasm. Even arranging some cookies with dedication, and you can put that into your work. I think that supports you. Since you're already setting up the stalls outside, more and more people are arriving at the metro. It's five in the morning, and this is just beginning. So, let's grab the metro journey now. [Music] For people watching from outside the city, imagine that there are like some gates here to control the flow of people because it's too much. They have to literally open and close them as if we were cattle because the flow is too much. And then, when getting on, some strong pushes, the danger of breaking a rib, suddenly, and lots of pushes because, well, you see, they carry you with the current. You have to consider all this situation. There are potatoes, they're carrying me, let me go back. You have to consider all this, apart from the time of your commute, because getting to the transport is still very complicated, very complicated. [Music] What is your name? Pedro Martínez. What do you do? I'm an electrician. Where are you heading now? I'm going to Velódromo, I work there. Where do you live? Over here, by Ajusco. Oh, well, that's a considerable distance, isn't it? About how long do you take to commute? Two and a half, three hours, and back another three, two hours. The same. How long is your workday? Eight hours. Eight hours. And we add six, that's fourteen. No, yes. At what time do you have to leave your house? Quarter to six. It's very heavy. Yes, getting up and getting here by 8, 8:30 at the latest. If you arrive late, they deduct from the third late arrival, they deduct a day. They don't understand notifications, no, because the metro is unpredictable. Exactly. Yes, from here, Centro Médico to Velódromo, it takes me 15 minutes, and it takes them half an hour. They don't care about the time the metro takes, that one has to meet the hour. And for example, to get to the metro from your house, how long does that take? Is it close, or does it also take you an hour and a quarter? An hour and a quarter just to get to the metro. An hour and a quarter. So you leave your house around 5 in the morning? 5:15, more or less. About how much do you spend on transportation? Do you have it more or less calculated? It's 500 pesos a week for transportation, not including, for example, a soda, a snack we crave on the street, of course, or a cigarette. Let's say, it's more salary, well, it's low. How much do you need to be okay, per week or per month? Four thousand pesos weekly is what you need. Do you have a wife? Do you have children? And then the schools, transportation for the children too, that's an additional expense. And you told me you were an electrician. Is your work dangerous? Yes, the same as electrocution, no? Electrician. And now, you know, there's no thinking about other things, you have to be concentrated on your work, because any distraction, you get stuck, you get a burn. I've had to see it. Yes, depending on where you are, if you're at height or on the ground, if it's wet, depending on if you're at height, you move the ladder, you fall, you fall, nothing happens but the blow. And if it's wet, you look for something with a pole, something dry, wood, then a broom, or then paint. Not those, because they have metal inside, metal, spray metal. So, no, I didn't know. And then, one that is more dangerous because you just stick to it. You haven't been shocked? I suppose so. I've gotten stuck, and... two together, one acts quickly. That day, your colleague pulled your hand quickly. Yes. And I have had to see... an engineer who got burned here at Liverpool Insurgentes. A medium-voltage bar fell on him, he got burned all over. There were three, an engineer and three more friends. Ground, because otherwise, they explode there with the entire substation. But, my respects to him, he got completely burned. He still connected after he got burned, he still connected, and then he went to the hospital. And the other one tried to turn it off, he took off his clothes to be able to turn it off. Yes, yes, yes. Besides, you tell me that besides your job being very far away, you say they don't pay you well, and it's very risky. Yes, it's risky. Yes, yes, but it's like any job, because there's no other choice. We have to work. One has to eat. If I don't find a job at home, they don't eat. Okay. Here come the mothers. Several turns, but the first turn, yes, honestly, it even hurt my ribs, my ribs, like they were squeezed too much. What we did notice is that before 6:10, there weren't many people. Before 6:10, it was super passable. No, in fact, it was 6:12. They saw 6:12, and it seems like people were going to the metro. 6:12 is the time when a lot of people start arriving. So, as a tip, if you have to go somewhere, try to get to the metro before 6:12. Honestly, if you arrive two minutes earlier, it can completely change the quality of your trip. What is your name? My name is Aidé Rosas López. Aidé, do you work? I'm a merchant. Makeup, mo, earrings, all that kind of stuff, glues, but not just that, but also toys and a bit of everything. Yes. How long have you been a merchant? Eight years. What? What did you do before? Well, I used to work in a restaurant here in Chilpancingo, at the Chilpancingo metro, but a while ago, and the metros weren't like today, so full. Is it very difficult for you to travel? Yes, yes, it's very complicated because it takes more than two hours. Well, I come from Chimalhuacán, it takes you three hours practically. So yes, it's a tremendous hassle. Also, the pushes, they get really bad, no? Ah, they've already released very bad videos of how bad women get. Yes, among women too, they yell very badly, and they almost grab each other, and blows. Yes, have you witnessed something like that? Well, yes, the girls, how they grab each other with the ladies, they say things, and I say, well, complicated. Have you ever gotten into a fight? No, no, no. I avoid all that kind of thing. Why wear myself out? Why not? So people grab each other, they cling. I've had to go right to the edge, and people get in, and they want to get in, and they push you, and then they do hurt you. So it's cruel, all of that is very cruel. Do you like your work as a merchant? Well, yes, literally, my parents taught me to be a merchant from a very young age. Today, well, yes, that's what I have. And you stopped working in the restaurant because of the same thing, because it was too much to travel? I didn't stop working because I worked in hot and cold, and my hands started to go numb. Yes. So my option was to leave the job and not continue because you would grab hot and cold and go into the refrigerator chamber, and it was a situation because you're in the heat, and yes, it harms you in the long run. That's when I started to detect that my arms were going numb from the cold, cold. So I opted to better do my own work. I've seen some neighbor ladies who have worked in restaurants or kitchens, and honestly, their hands get very ugly. They get... what is that disease called? Arthritis. Arthritis. So, well, that's the issue. Oh, the police are coming, and you can't record inside, but since we were so casual, they didn't stop us. And right now, where are you going? To Pantitlán now, to see my parents. My mom is very ill right now. What happened to her? She has kidney failure. She's in her final moments. We're going to arrange some plans, my sisters and I, on how we're going to manage to take care of her. And my business, my daughter opens it. She supports me, she helps me, my daughter opens it. Are they already realizing it, or not yet? She doesn't want to realize it because my mom's mentality is that no one is taking care of her, no one is with her. And I told my mom, "What if no one were here? I wouldn't be here in the emergency room." And I told the doctor that she had to undergo it so that she could improve a little. She literally doesn't want to live anymore, she's told me. And she's gotten thin, she doesn't eat anymore, she vomits. Really, as I see her, she might not last much longer. She doesn't let herself be helped in that way, my dear mom, no matter how much we talk to her. And she already doesn't want to. The doctor was telling me that maybe she has depression, she doesn't want to anymore. And it's sad because it doesn't just affect her, but also us as children. Her mentality is that we are never there. Right now, I'm telling you, my cousins are here, my brother is here. Right now, I'm going because they start working during the week, so I'll stay here with them. And besides, rather early, it's not even seven in the morning yet. I'm going there with them to be able to help her because she can't be left like this. My dad, since he no longer sees, also needs our support. We cook for him. What is your name? Alejandro. Security. Is it a complicated job? It's for buildings. Is it dangerous? Yes, yes, because if one isn't vigilant, they can come in to rob. Has it happened to you? No. Right now, where are you heading? To your work. No, I'm going to rest. You were awake all night? And where do you work? Cuajimalpa. How long does it take you in transportation? What do you think about spending three hours working? I've gotten used to it. How many years have you been working at this company? I've been here for five years, but as a public servant, almost 40 years. And in those 40 years, have you always had to travel far to your work? The farther away it is, the cheaper the sales are. And do you have a more or less calculated idea of how much you spend on transportation daily? 60 pesos round trip. What do you dislike about transportation? I suppose there are many things you dislike. Many people early. I, for example, take the metro at the latest by 6, and it's already a mess. Yes, it's complicated. The cars always fight, always. Yes, Pantitlán is where they can start, start. It's also normal for us. Have you heard them say that the women's car is more violent, or a woman who feels assaulted or touched makes a fuss in the men's car? So, it's better to go over there, with fear. In those three hours back, how do you entertain yourself? What do you do? Phone. Yes, I make phone calls. If you didn't have to travel so much, what would you use that time for? What do you think you would do with these six free hours of your day? Things for my house, or at least more time for a little nap. More time. You don't take advantage of the metro, on the bus, for a little nap? Yes, you can sleep. So you miss your stop. What do you do for work? Cleaning. Cleaning. How long have you been working in cleaning? I don't know, a year. Did you do something else before, or how was it? Suddenly, now you start working differently. Different, right? Have you gotten used to it? Still, how far do you have to travel? To the other station below. I come from Indios Verdes. So you've made a good journey. Yes. About how much time do you take, more or less, to get to your work? Two hours. You invest 4 hours in transportation. Would you like to work closer? I suppose so. It's supposed to be yes. About how much do you spend on transportation? 60 daily. If you didn't bring food, how much extra would you spend? About 100 more. And the accounts wouldn't add up. What is your work schedule? Seven to seven. That's a very tough schedule. So you are practically all day away from home? Yes, practically. You arrive and collapse just to rest, to sleep. Do you work Monday to Friday? What would you like to improve about transportation? That it didn't take so long. What is your name? César. César, where are you heading now? To Polanco. What do you do? I work in a company that's over there. And you, where do you live? Near Pantitlán. About how long does your commute take? About two hours. Have you considered the option of moving closer? Yes, but because of the rents, they are more expensive over there. About how much do you think the rent would increase compared to where you are now? No, yes, 30% more. Yes, right? Polanco is super expensive, even more so. What is your day-to-day like on public transport? I mean, you get used to it, but it is stressful. What do you find stressful? The service, I mean, it's very slow, and that's why people accumulate so much. Pushes get good, babies. Yes, they've told me that it's worse for women. It's just that I think that in the men's cars, they push each other, but they don't get to blows, and in the women's cars, they push and they do get to blows, that's what they've told me. So much stress that people carry. What time do you start work? And now, at 9:30. 9:30. And it's like 7:30 now. No, two hours. So, like, you have to leave with super caution to not be running. So, according to repairs, but it's always been like this, more or less. And now, if you add the fact that some have crashed, doesn't that make you nervous, or do you not think about it? Well, yes, because it's like risking it, no? What do you do? What is this job? You don't want to say. [Music] Are you like a secret agent or something? Friends, after five hours of transiting the metro, the most transited metro, forgive the redundancy, of the city, we leave with a slightly broken thing, a bruise, a stolen wallet, and the butt of a butt pinch that risks gangrene. It's very strong to know that most people spend six hours commuting. Well, it happened to me too. When I lived in Cuautitlán Izcalli, to go to school, it was two and a half to three hours of transportation to get to school from Izcalli to the center, and the same on the way back. Many people have already gotten used to it, but imagine if they told you, if they told you that you spend six hours of your life daily, if they told you, "Take these six hours of your life for whatever you want, to sleep, to fight over seeds, to work somewhere else." That's a part-time schedule. What can be done, really? We have one of the most efficient and cheap transport services in the world. I think decentralizing things, not everything has to be in CDMX, not everything. Well, there are a lot of people everywhere, and many companies have to come here because then we are already having many dormitory cities where there are no companies for people to work. I think that's it, that it be decentralized, that rents go down, and we don't cling to it anymore because we all want to be in the same place. Tell me, what do you think? How much time do you spend on transportation? What do you dislike? Incredible. The life that the city has, and how small you feel when you're like in that mass, that mass of people. You realize you're a miserable ant. You realize the immensity of the city we inhabit, which is very beautiful and all, but well, that's what I think, that it be decentralized. If you reached this part of the video, please use the hashtag #OlorACabeza. As you pass by, each human being has a smell, and we mix together. Some smelled a lot of perfume, others had pure "siete machitos," others smelled a lot of Nivea, others of shampoo, others, well, of sweat. Of sweat on the head, no? And well, I hope you liked this video. Please, if you have any suggestions, tell me so we can include them in other videos. Yes, we are taking them into account, and many of the videos that you have proposed to us in comments, in live streams, and all that are coming. Also, a very special thank you to the people who have made donations to the channel. We are going to start going out of CDMX. We want to visit other places, we want to visit the whole republic, and thank you very much to those who have supported us with donations so we can do it. So, we are going to be seen going around everywhere. And to those who support us with a donation, you can do it in premieres, here you can donate, or sometimes when we do live streams, you can even do it in the comments and send a super thanks. And if you wish to do so, it supports us a lot. We will put you as producers of the channel, so you will appear in the credits because it's our channel, and you are helping us a lot to grow it. I hope you liked this video. I am Eva María Beristain, and I'll see you in the next one. [Music]