Related videos:
A person identified on Facebook as Anubbis Inframundo publicly denounced this Saturday the conditions of the journey faced by their relatives on a rented bus from Havana to Santiago de Cuba, marked by delays of more than four hours, charges that exceeded what was announced, and passengers crowded among boxes of goods.
According to the post in the Facebook group for rented buses, the agency operates at the intersection of Consejero Arango and Universidad, in the Cerro municipality, next to the Latinoamericano stadium.
The departure was scheduled for 10:00 in the morning, but the bus did not leave until 2:30 in the afternoon, with no explanations provided to the passengers by those in charge.
According to the reporting individual, the fare, initially set at 18,000 Cuban pesos, ended up being charged at 20,000 pesos per person.
The compartments designated for luggage were completely filled with boxes of soft drinks, cigarettes, and other goods, forcing passengers to travel with suitcases and bundles inside the bus, resulting in significant overcrowding.
"There was no space even to put a foot. Poor treatment, mistreatment, and lack of respect; I had never witnessed anything like this from an agency that charges you so much for such bad service," wrote the person in their complaint.
The publication adds a particularly sensitive element. According to the account, the driver and the organizers instructed those transporting the boxes to claim that the vehicle was a bus carrying workers from Mariel if it were stopped at a checkpoint.
A commenter identified as Luis Luis confirmed that version. "That bus doesn't belong to any agency; it's a transport for workers from Mariel, and since even the boss gets soaked there, there's no one to complain to because it doesn't belong to the Ministry of Transportation; the driver does whatever he wants."
Other users corroborated similar experiences on recent trips. Mailenis Corria recounted that the previous week she experienced something similar with her husband and their one-year-old baby.
"The bus was supposed to leave at 3 PM but never showed up. When another one finally arrived, it broke down, and the passengers spent the night on the broken bus," he recounted. "The vehicle didn't leave until the following day, almost at night."
Yaquelin Morales reported a trip at the end of April lasting nearly 24 hours, with aisles packed with luggage, and a passenger who had booked a ticket for 17,000 pesos but was told he had to pay more or stand the entire way to Sancti Spíritus.
Faced with the inability to make claims, user Rosabel Ledesma summarized the general sentiment: "There's no one to respond to anything anymore; you can't complain because no one gives an answer, not even the bus terminal directors. It's all so disrespectful," she said.
Victoriano Suárez, who knows the agency because his family traveled with it, stated that "over time they have become nothing but bandits who operate outside the law, taking advantage of the high level of impunity and real state neglect and oversight."
Mariela Alonso harshly summarized what many feel: "Not even in the jungle do animals treat each other so poorly."
This complaint is set against the backdrop of the worst interprovincial transport crisis in recent Cuban history. The Ministry of Transportation announced drastic cuts in the frequencies of Nacional Buses, trains, and ferries starting June 18, leaving the Havana-Santiago route with only three departures per week.
In December, out of a fleet of 558 interprovincial buses, only 219 were operational. The shortage of fuel is the structural trigger. Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy admitted on May 13 that Cuba has "absolutely nothing" in terms of diesel or fuel oil.
This case is not an isolated incident. In March, a Santiago-Havana trip was documented, lasting nearly 20 hours and experiencing six mechanical failures, and the prices of interprovincial tickets were already fluctuating in February between 15,000 and 30,000 pesos, with private vehicles charging up to 400 dollars.
Filed under: