Vans are mini-buses that are well known across Lebanon for their incredible speed and flexibility on the roads. Whenever your car or taxi fails you, vans always got your back, assuring you that life is nothing but a thrilling adventure. And they are a lifestyle because…
#1. They are the cheapest transportation in Beirut
Vans of Beirut will take you anywhere you want with only 1,000 LPB. It can be from Khaldeh to Dora, or Hadath to Hamra. You do not even have to wait long for one to pass by. Van drivers have a sixth sense where they literally smell a scent indicating you are in need of them. You will always find at least three waiting for you to choose between them.
#2. They will jam your favorite songs out loud
Why go to clubs at night where you can simply ride Van 4 and get all the party you need? From Hussein El Deek to Najwa Karam, van drivers have a mix of your best and least favorite local songs. Songs that will get your belly dancing on its own, and raising your energy up high!
#3. Late because of traffic is never a problem
Via Amer Mohtar and Petra Samaha
Every time I’m late and I ride a van in Beirut, I feel like the driver gives me a look that says “fear not my friend, you shall get there on time.” This is some kind of voodoo magic only vans know the secret. No matter how much traffic there is in Sanayeh, it will always open it roads for a van to pass by smoothly.
#4. Privacy in vans is nonexistent
Admit it, you enjoy peeking at the phone of the passenger seated beside you! One cannot be blamed really, we are seated so close next to each other we almost feel like we are the same person, and that we have all the rights to laugh at the texted joke of “Leila.”
#5. Fitting so many people on a single seat
You already are 20 people in the van and there is only one seat left? False! There is never one seat left. What is wrong with sitting on somebody else’s lap? Do you not love that Lebanese closeness that unites us all as one?
#6. Lebanese van drivers will always protect you from creepers
This is a seventh sense only our van drivers have when it comes to their female passengers. They just know if this or that guy deserves to be seated next to you or not, and will always know if someone is getting too close to you or if you are getting uncomfortable.
In our city’s vans, you do not have to ask anyone to move. Drivers will always make sure to do it and snap a “you, move!” at anyone that bothers you so you can get the five-stars’ ride you deserve.
#7. Free ticket to Luna Park
Vans in Lebanon are so vintage you can literally feel the engine trembling and the wheels moving. Sitting in a van feels like a party from the forties. The faster the van gets, the more you boogie. You don’t really need to go visit Luna Park to enjoy some shaking.
#8. They love foreigners
Because van drivers spend most of their hours on the streets of Beirut, they know every store and every niche, and they love nothing more than to share their wisdom with the lost tourist, using their best English of course. If you are a foreigner taking a van ride in our city, trust the driver. He could be your best guide!
#9. They do not take dollars, just Lebanese currency
Worry not about an economic crisis in Lebanon, van drivers have enough 1,000 LBPs that can help Lebanon stand on its feet for a lifetime!
#10. They are walking newspapers
Van drivers know who will be elected president in 2020 way before the candidates even run for the presidency. Want some juicy news about politicians, artists, or scandals happening on the sixth floor of your own building? Van drivers are your source of any information you want.
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