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A Cuban identified as Robier González Garbey reported on social media that the private trucks covering the route between Micro 8, Ferreiro, and Garzón in Santiago de Cuba charge 100 pesos for the trip, which amounts to 5,000 pesos monthly just in transportation for the round trip to work.
The figure that González presented on Facebook is devastating considering that the average salary in Cuba barely reached 6,830 pesos, which means a worker would spend almost their entire paycheck just on commuting to work.
The regime itself has acknowledged that with a salary of 6,000 pesos, it is impossible to live, and yet private transportation rates continue to rise uncontrollably.
The collapse of state transport partly explains why private trucks can impose such prices. According to recent data, state public transport dropped by 93%, leaving millions of Cubans without real alternatives for getting around.
In the face of that void, private operators set rates that the market — or rather, desperation — ultimately accepts.
In addition, there is the cost of fuel: diesel on the black market reached 5,000 pesos per liter, which private transporters pass directly on to passengers.
The spiral is difficult to break: without subsidized fuel and functional state transport, prices will continue to rise.
It is not the first time that Santiago de Cuba has been the focus of this type of complaint. In 2024, the government of Santiago de Cuba attempted to cap prices for private transportation, a measure that could not be sustained in light of the reality of the informal market.
The situation is not exclusive to that province: in Las Tunas, Cubans reported in February similar excessive prices, with fares that far exceed what a state salary can accommodate.
The complaint from González summarizes the situation faced by thousands of Cuban workers each day with a phrase: "Every man for himself". Meanwhile, women and men continue to wait for hours at bus stops, like the women who waited four hours without any transport options in a situation that repeats itself daily across the country.
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