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The Provincial Transport Directorate of Matanzas announced a new reservation system for interprovincial transportation that establishes municipal and provincial working commissions responsible for determining who may travel, according to guidelines published by the Girón Newspaper and signed by the director Roberto Bernal Villena.
The measure is part of the "state of emergency" declared by the Ministry of Transport in June due to the most severe fuel crisis in decades, and is part of the national system that eliminated the free sale of tickets and transferred their allocation to provincial commissions across the country.
The system, as detailed in the post published by Girón, divides requests into two levels. The first priority corresponds to patients with scheduled appointments or medical discharges, the death of a first-degree relative, attendance at first-level events, and return to the place of residence according to the identity card. The second level includes international flight connections, embassy procedures, situations related to inmates, and specific labor movements.
The waiting lists are suspended, and tickets will be personal and non-transferable, linked to a Capacity Confirmation Model. Sales are exclusively managed by the Travel Company and the train stations, up to three hours before each departure. A 50% discount for individuals with special needs is maintained, although allocation depends on the reason for the trip, not on personal circumstances.
The trains operating in Matanzas run on the routes Havana–Guantánamo, Havana–Santiago de Cuba, Havana–Holguín, and Havana–Bayamo-Manzanillo, with a frequency of every 16 days. The Provincial Commission operates at the Provincial Transport Directorate (Calle Larga de Escoto between Doblada and Plumero, Playa), from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., phone number 45 28 55 64.
The reaction on social media was one of widespread outrage. Dozens of users pointed out that visiting sick or elderly family members—one of the most common reasons for traveling—is not listed among the recognized priorities. "So you consider that traveling to another province to visit your family members, who are elderly and need the help and presence of their relatives, is not a problem or a priority," wrote a user who mentioned having her 85-year-old mother in Pinar del Río.
Others questioned whether the system opens the door to corruption. "We are experts at creating commissions. Commissions that only make our lives miserable. It's shameful!" summarized one commentator. A user recounted experiencing blackmail while trying to obtain a ticket for a consular appointment: "I had to go three times, I suffered from blackmail due to the infamous commission [...] in short, another lucrative business for those who hold power."
Several users also reported that the measure benefits the rented private transport, whose prices are prohibitive for most. A bus ticket from Havana to Matanzas on a state bus now costs 5,000 Cuban pesos. "Don't you realize this is just another line added to the tiger? [...] now it's the turn of transport; whoever wants to travel has to pay for the rented buses," wrote another user.
The crisis in Matanzas has documented precedents: in September 2025, only 48.8% of the bus fleet was active, and in February 2026, transportation in the province was “almost paralyzed” due to lack of fuel. Nationally, state passenger transportation fell by 93% between January and September 2025, and by December of that year, only 219 of the 558 interprovincial buses remained operational.
"How embarrassing to read these absurdities. It means we are under provincial confinement. That we can only visit a family member after they have passed away," stated a user, in what became one of the most shared comments on the post.
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