Paul Pajamandy is passionate. After driving his first bus, he decided to make it his career. But it was not given to everyone; the sector is highly regulated. Never mind! He invested the necessary sum to obtain a license, position himself on routes and, little by little, he carved out a lion's share in an environment that would benefit from his experience.
At 84 years old, Paul Pajamandy is the founder of a veritable small empire in passenger transport, in Guadeloupe; a family business that he has grown over the decades.
The man started in 1958 ; At first he drove a truck and transported sand or sugar.
As for public transport, he first purchased a second-hand bus, before expanding his company.
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©Personal archives
He admits to having worked for a while without a license ; it then only replaced drivers in good standing whose cars had broken down.
To officially establish himself, he had to be patient and, above all, invest. By buying buses from professionals, he also bought their licenses and took ownership of the journeys they made.
In 1960, I bought a bus from Mr. Dardol, who was in Deshaies/Pointe-à-Pitre ; an old bus. Afterwards, in 1962/63, I bought another one from Mr. Charles Gabriel, who was in Sainte-Rose/Pointe-à-Pitre ; I bought it for 6.5 million francs. It was a very, very high price, but it's a business and I liked this business!
Paul Pajamandy, retired passenger transporter
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©Personal archives
Today, the passenger transport sector is regularly singled out in Guadeloupe : many users denounce a lack of organization.
Paul Pajamandy says it was better before ; waiting times were much less.
All my life I have carried. I started working in Pointe-Noire, before arriving in Pointe-à-Pitre. I left Pointe-Noire at 5:30 a.m. But today, people are on the side of the road and stay for two hours, an hour and a half, with delinquents in the street. But how can you leave a child on the side of the road like that!
Paul Pajamandy, retired passenger transporter
For him, “everyone is responsible“of the decline of the transport service : elected officials and business leaders. However, it is possible to put an end to what he describes as “letting go“.
Pajamandy SA, which is headquartered in Sainte-Rose, today has 70 vehicles.
I am proud of what I have built. I like cars ! Every morning, I come to see them (…). I'm the one who does the painting, the mechanics, everything!
Paul Pajamandy, retired passenger transporter
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©Christian Danquin
For some time now, Paul Pajamandy has passed the reins of his business to these children.
REPORTAGE/
“Djok's words” is the section that Guadeloupe La 1ère dedicated to the personalities who left their mark on Guadeloupe. The first publication of this issue dates back to November 5, 2024, in the newspaper “1 p.m. in Guadeloupe” presented by Eddy Golabkan, on television.
Editor : Eddy Golabkan
Reporteur d’images : Christian Danquin
Mechanic : Marius Avril
Blender : Teddy Artist
And if you know personalities as inspiring as Paul Pajamandy, whatever their fields of activity and you see fit to highlight them, you can contact us by email, at the following address: [email protected].
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