Fuel Shortage Crisis Intensifies in Cuba: Massive Lines at Gas Stations and Days-Long Waits

The fuel shortage in Cuba is becoming increasingly evident, not only through frequent power outages but also in the extensive lines at gas stations, where waits can stretch up to two or three days. This is particularly noticeable at stations like Infanta and San Rafael and Bacuranao, both located in Havana. Among drivers, the most common question is where gasoline can be found. The situation is so dire that even the official press is actively promoting the arrival of fuel shipments, like the one that docked earlier this month, ensuring that Cuban airports can operate normally at least through December and January, following warnings from airlines that primarily serve Russian travelers.

However, these shipments offer little relief to those enduring lengthy waits, as experienced by a reader of CiberCuba who shared photos of their frustration. "I'm outraged by the plight of thousands of young drivers and elderly individuals working as taxi drivers, many of whom have the responsibility of transporting patients needing dialysis. I am well aware of how this industry operates because, before emigrating to the United States, it was my job alongside my father. But it's unfair for men with over 40 years of work to spend 24 hours in line at the Cupet on Zapata to fuel a state car used for transporting patients because their assigned Cupet has no fuel. It's a crime for these drivers to spend 24 hours just to do their job, which is nearly impossible due to the current crisis. It is unjust that the burden falls on these drivers. This responsibility lies with the company and the government," he expressed in his message to CiberCuba.

In response to this situation, the Gazelles minibus service in Havana, comprising 435 vehicles spanning 23 routes, is facing significant challenges. Currently, only between 225 and 228 are operational, representing roughly 60 percent of the fleet.

In a Facebook group specifically created to share fuel availability in Havana, users reported on Tuesday the presence of fuel at Mazorra and at Acapulco on Avenida 26 in Nuevo Vedado, where there is a "hellish line." Fuel is also available at Lagueruela (Víbora), but drivers are warned to bring breakfast, lunch, and dinner due to the long wait. Additionally, they observed a fuel truck unloading at Infanta and San Rafael, where user Ciro Iglesias Pérez claimed he had been sleeping in his car for two consecutive days. During the wait, he wrote, "It's unbelievable that no one from Cupet knows when the fuel will arrive. I wonder why there is no information about when the gasoline will come. I consider it disrespectful to the public, who are already facing so many problems and hardships. Here, women are waiting in line without moving. It's cold, and nobody knows when the fuel will come," he lamented on Facebook.

The issue extends beyond just waiting in line; there is also the matter of high prices. Last Sunday, December 9, an activist highlighted on social media that gasoline prices have soared on the informal market, reaching exorbitant amounts, up to 700 CUP per liter, with predictions that it could climb to 1,000 pesos per liter, as seen during the massive blackout in October.

Warnings are circulating in Facebook groups against purchasing gasoline from resellers because "it's available everywhere," said a user named Talía Rodríguez, who was met with widespread skepticism from her followers. "In which Cupet, because I've been searching for three days, and it's a chaos?" one user questioned, referring to the Cuban Communist Party leaders as "the fat ones." "In Corral Falso, Guanabacoa, it's been four days without any fuel," another affected individual retorted, highlighting the scarcity.