A brief video sent to our editorial team once again highlights the face of the energy crisis gripping Cuba: dozens of cars, many of them rental vehicles for tourists, lined up in a massive queue to buy gasoline in Guanabo, east of Havana.
The image is not isolated. It depicts the daily scene of a country where filling up the tank has become an odyssey.
Drivers wait for hours—and sometimes overnight—hoping to purchase just a few liters of fuel.
The scene confirms what many Cubans living on the island have been denouncing for weeks: gasoline arrives sporadically, and when it appears, it sparks a desperate rush.
A few days ago, a Cuban woman demonstrated on social media the magnitude of the problem after more than ten days without supply in that area of Guanabo.
“Today I want to show you something different. I was heading down to Guanabo and I came across the gas queue, which I hadn’t seen for about ten days,” he shared while recording the video he posted on TikTok.
The recording showed a long line of vehicles and dozens of people waiting to buy fuel.
The young woman explained that many of those who went to the service station have power generators and rely on fuel to cope with the prolonged blackouts.
"Cubans are resourceful at finding ways to invent," he commented, as he detailed that some take gasoline from the tanks to get back in line and buy again.
Gasoline in dollars and kilometer-long queues
The crisis is not limited to Guanabo. In early February, another video posted on TikTok showed a lengthy line of cars on the Vía Blanca, heading out of Havana toward Matanzas, waiting to refuel with gasoline priced in dollars.
The images showed dozens of cars parked along the road, while some drivers were chatting or standing outside their vehicles.
The message that accompanied the recording expressed the growing discontent: “The dictatorship is already hitting rock bottom; look at the lines to exchange dollars.”
Sales in foreign currency have become one of the few relatively stable ways to acquire fuel.
However, most Cubans do not have access to US dollars, which deepens inequality and social discontent.
While the regime prioritizes service centers in freely convertible currency (MLC) or foreign currencies, those who only have Cuban pesos are left with practically no options.
The direct impact on the wallet
The fuel shortage has an immediate effect on transportation and the cost of living. In recent days, the price of tickets within Havana and to other provinces has skyrocketed.
A ride from Boyeros to the center of the capital can cost 600 CUP, while traveling from Parque de la Fraternidad to Guanabo reaches 1,000 CUP.
Interprovincial routes are even more prohibitive: traveling from Ciego de Ávila to Las Tunas costs around 7,000 CUP, while a journey from Havana to Ciego de Ávila can cost about 25,000 CUP.
In some cases, private cars charge between 250 and 300 dollars, and even up to 400 dollars, for certain long routes.
Behind this escalation is the price of fuel in the informal market. If last week a liter of gasoline was priced at 2,500 CUP, it now reaches 4,000 CUP, an unattainable figure for most state salaries.
Since January, no fuel has been entering Cuba, according to independent reports.
The recent imposition of new tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump against countries that sell or give oil to the Cuban regime adds pressure to the already fragile crude supply, traditionally supported by allies like Venezuela.
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