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A private transporter from Matanzas picked up all the passengers waiting at the Viaducto stop on Friday night and took them to Peñas Altas without charging them a cent, in a gesture that went viral on social media and touched the hearts of Cubans both on and off the island.
Yadiel Hernández Hernández recounted the incident in a Facebook post: «Today the owner of the transport seen in the photograph picked up everyone who was on the viaduct around 8 pm, including myself and a pregnant woman who is also in the photo. When we arrived at Peñas Altas, when we tried to pay, he did not accept my money or that of the pregnant woman and her companion, nor did he accept money from two other individuals who had been with him since before the viaduct».
The author acknowledged that he was unable to photograph the driver up close or learn his name, but he dedicated a public message: "I didn't have time to take a closer photo, nor do I know who the driver is, but in the crisis we are experiencing, when everyone is like a sack thinking of themselves first, actions like these restore a bit of faith in the everyday Cuban."
On the same day, another user reported a similar gesture in the comments: "Yesterday, an electric white mototaxi also took 8 people for free to Peñas Altas, around 11:30 AM. We continue to have faith in human improvement."
A user confirmed knowing the driver of the car: "He's a friend of mine. I wash his car and he's a very good person. Blessings to him."
Another commentator emphasized the value of the gesture in the current context: "It deserves all the respect of our people to help today with the high cost of fuel."
The episode takes place against the backdrop of a nearly total collapse of transportation in Matanzas, where in September 2025, only 63 out of 129 provincial buses were operational, barely 48.8% of the fleet. In February 2026, interprovincial service was virtually paralyzed, with just one daily trip on the Havana-Matanzas route.
Just days prior, on June 7, the authorities had threatened to revoke licenses from state drivers who did not pick up passengers at the designated points, as part of the "solidarity transport" scheme in effect since March 2022.
The contrast between the coercion faced by official drivers and the spontaneous generosity of private individuals sets the backdrop for these gestures.
The post received dozens of comments from Cubans both on the island and abroad, including one message sent from Rome. Hernández concluded his account with a request: "Share to show that there are still real Cubans in this country."
This is not the first time a gesture like this has gone viral in Matanzas: in January 2025, twins César and Yohán Vidal, medical students, also became well-known for offering free transportation to elderly people on Contreras Street, in a city where the mobility crisis has been affecting schools, workers, and entire families for years.
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