After the pandemic, Claudia Guerra Lobaina started a transportation agency. It was one of the new businesses that emerged given the circumstances of the lockdown.
When everything ended, Claudia wanted to legally incorporate her business, but due to a disagreement with her partner, it wasn’t possible at that time. She decided to create a new enterprise, with an auditable legal foundation, in order, with paperwork in order, and the absolute peace of mind of walking through life knowing she was doing the right thing.
Brumpá was very clear about who its operators would be; female operators, actually. Cuban mothers would be the leaders of the enterprise.
“Giving work to mothers who could earn a living from home, while still being mothers, was the main objective, not only to earn money, but to feel useful. Motherhood is very hard; few know how hard it is. We mothers live in a dichotomy between being with our children or continuing to be professionals, continuing to feel that what we do is useful to others.”
But Brumpá almost died before being born. Four times, Claudia, its president, considered surrendering the operating license and closing the enterprise.
“Once, when I was almost ready to hand the enterprise over to another partner, I couldn’t do it. That was another child, another project of mine, one I had dreamed about, designed…but that was only in my head. I hadn’t had the strength or the ability to start, but I also didn’t have the courage to give up.”
The first operations
Ruth María González Rodríguez is a clarinetist and music teacher; she was the enterprise’s first hired operator.
“I came here because of my friendship with Claudia and my need for more income. In this venture, I found not only a transportation agency, but a great team, one that is also committed to providing well-being to its clients.
“Being a taxi agency’s operator isn’t a difficult job, but it’s tough. Being in front of customers has its thing. But the ultimate goal is to provide the service, and that has to be done well.
“The beginning was difficult because dealing with my little girl and clients at the same time was stressful; little by little, I got the hang of it. It has helped me develop my personality, taught me to be patient, tolerant, and to learn how to deal with so many different people at once, to stay calm, without neglecting everything else: home, parenting, and the other jobs I have. It has been a school of learning.
“Being a member of Brumpá has forced me to step out of my comfort zone, out of what I knew as ‘normal jobs,’ and has allowed me to work online, from home. I’ve also contributed my personality. Most of us have very different professions. We’re musicians, journalists, homemakers, photographers.… That’s why I don’t think our greatest contribution comes from the primary profession that defines us, but rather from our experiences, from the experiences we’ve gathered throughout life.
Another key player in the agency is Rouslyn Navia Jordán, a journalist by profession and a multi-tasker. “If it weren’t for Rouslyn, I wouldn’t have made it. In recent months, she’s taken on the leading role and the greatest responsibility in the enterprise; she’s the head of operations; I don’t want a better one,” Claudia confesses with complete confidence.
“I came here by chance,” Rouslyn explains, “I wasn’t even looking for a job, but I saw a job posting on Facebook and it caught my eye. It said it was ideal for mothers with young children who could work from home, and that was me.”
Rouslyn acknowledges that an initiative like this is unusual. “We’re actually a fairly marginalized sector. Employers assume that mothers have little time available to dedicate to work, or that we have other priorities, or that we’ll be absent because of small children. That’s why I applied, because of the unique nature of the call. They called me, I did the interview, and from that moment on, I understood who I was going to work with. I didn’t know Claudia, but I did know her husband, Gabo Pérez, and the work he did with his farm and with Bacoretto. I greatly admired the work and social outreach of both of them. Just working with them got me excited.
“What has given me the most is the team; it’s unique. There’s nothing more rewarding than working with a group of people with whom you feel good and achieve a pleasant working dynamic. You don’t have to ask for help; the willingness is always there. Collaboration defines us. Work meetings feel like a get-together with friends. Who doesn’t like working like this?”
The day-to-day of a business in Cuba
Ruth asserts that, given the current situation in the country, an agency of this type makes life easier for many people, both Cubans and foreigners, because Brumpá doesn’t only have domestic clients. “It’s a welcome relief amidst so much chaos,” she says. And she recalls an anecdote, almost two months after starting. “There were some heavy rains in Havana that no one expected. All the operators had to join in because the one on duty couldn’t keep up. We had to mediate a lot with the drivers because the floods kept them from working. It was stressful, but we managed.
“I never imagined I’d work for a taxi agency. It has little to do with what I studied, but I think I’m like most people: few people in Cuba today work in profiles related to their profession.”
Rouslyn feels the same way. “I started working in something that wasn’t my daily routine. I’ve always worked in the media; dealing with people is something I’m used to, but never like this, in a chat, without seeing their faces. It’s completely different from what I was used to doing. I’ve learned a lot. I was passionate about the job; at first, I was afraid of making mistakes. I put pressure on myself when quoting a service and trying to provide the best customer experience; it really stressed me out. Some people challenge you. You meet all kinds of people: caring, kind, reckless, in a rush.…
“What differentiates our agency from others is its soul,” Rouslyn believes. “The desire with which we do things, to make people feel treated in a special way. We know how to approach our clients and differentiate ourselves; we are more than just operators behind a phone. We even have some clients who request service from specific operators because they have become familiar with them; a sense of empathy has been created. That also helps us, because we get to know them, and thus the service becomes more personalized.”
But not everything is a bed of roses. Claudia knows her weaknesses. “Social media is our Achilles heel. We haven’t yet achieved strong work, or at least one that truly shows the true essence of who we are, of what we do. There are many transportation agencies on social media. Knowing how to differentiate one from another is the challenge we haven’t yet met. We have to make potential clients, our followers, see us differently.
“The social responsibility we work with at Brumpá must be reflected. We don’t just want paying customers, but also those who feel safe and satisfied. Their well-being is our priority,” says its president.
Claudia recalls that every time there’s been a spike in a crisis, due to a fuel shortage, a power outage, or a lack of internet connection, the negative effects have been immediately felt. The number of customers decreases, and many are lost. “People are interested in solving their problem. Not everyone has a sense of belonging. Sometimes they order a taxi from several agencies at once, and obviously, the first one to answer wins the ride.”
In this sense, not only is customer service affected, but also the drivers. Claudia clarifies that who orders a taxi is just as important as who offers the ride. “The drivers are very important; we have a very close relationship with them, we are always in touch, and we try to integrate them into the group.”
Brumpá in the future
Ruth is very clear: “We are a small agency, but we have managed to knock on several doors. We have a loyal clientele, who stay and bring in other clients. We are growing, developing. We have dealt with everything, with hurricanes, blackouts, we have had days of working via text message when the connection is no other option. But we are not giving up.”
“The plans are immense,” adds Rouslyn, “but we just don’t have enough time to carry them all out. The daily grind slows us down, but we want to grow, that’s very clear. One of the short-term goals is to boost the use of the app, available on Apklis. With the use of the app, we can boost our clients; the operators’ work would focus especially on more personalized details, on larger transportation projects, such as freight, or collaborations with events and other services that clients require.
“Today’s Cuba is facing a crisis that affects every aspect of life. Any initiative that resolves or alleviates any of these needs is a help. The transportation sector is a critical aspect of Cuban daily life. It’s logical that enterprises like Brumpá have boomed as state-run options become scarce. The private sector is taking on these responsibilities. We don’t offer a service that competes with the state, but rather a door-to-door service that is more exclusive, more direct, more personalized, but that provides a huge solution for customers who have no other option,” says Rouslyn.
“I’ve ended up working in things I never imagined, like most people, I suppose,” Rouslyn confesses, then pauses for a few seconds. “When I chose my profession, I thought I’d be a journalist my whole life, that at some point I’d write a book, but that wasn’t the case. I haven’t written the book, but I’ve done marketing, I’ve managed taxis, I’ve worked with tourism, and I’m still a journalist. It’s been very enriching. I’ve learned a lot of new things; I like challenges. But if 10 or 15 years ago you had told me I’d be a taxi manager, I probably would have laughed.”
And being a taxi manager isn’t the profession any woman in Cuba has dreamed of, or maybe Claudia has, because when she talks about Brumpá, her eyes shine, and she’s unrestrained. I only asked one question; she told the rest, excited, with her daughter Brisa in her arms. While breastfeeding her, she explained that, in addition to mothers, there is also a working father: the doors are open for everyone at this agency, which, more than managing taxi services, seeks well-being.
These are things that Claudia, a psychologist, has achieved, the mother of two children and two cats, the president of an enterprise that will gradually continue to grow, until they have, “who knows, our own fleet of electric cars, so that we don’t have to change the price of fares when fuel prices go up, and we also don’t pollute the environment.”
