This Unvi bodied Iveco Municipal Library Bus(BiblioGuagua Muncipal), was new in 29/11/2006. It is seen here outside the
Museo de Naturaleza y Arqueología. MUNA.(Museum of Nature and Archaeology), a Natural History Museum, Calle Fuente Morales, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
The word 'Guagua', pronounced WaWa, is explained here: One of the theories says the word guagua is coming from quechua and means “baby” or “very little child”. It seems that in Cuba they could travel for free on the public transports. This habit is very popular all over the world. So the Cubans coined the term “travel by the guagua” when they were travelling for free or almost for free. That’s why the word guagua is used to talk about a very cheap buses or free ones.
The second theory talks about Americans, who brought some vehicles very similar to the current buses, during the war in Cuba. The English word used to define them was wagon, which became guagua thanks to the phonetic similarity.
A third theory tells there was a transport company for people called “Wa & Wa Co.Inc”. Always because of the phonetic similarity, the company started to be called guagua. Nevertheless, there is not evidence enough to support that theory. Please see
www.canarian-transfer.com/blog/why-are-the-buses-called-l.... The bus company in Las Palmas, Gran Canria, is called GuaGuas Municipales.
Photo taken on 16/11/2023.
