A photograph of the National Bus Terminal in Havana completely empty has evoked sadness and nostalgia among Cubans who remember when its platforms were packed with buses and passengers at any hour of the day.
The image, published last Monday on Facebook by photographer Agustín Batista, shows the platforms completely devoid of any buses, with just a blue truck under the characteristic circular concrete marquee.
Batista titled the photograph with a single word: "DESERTIC," and attributed the scene to the "energy blockade and the resulting fuel shortage."
"One cannot help but remember my years as a university student and the ones that followed, when that same platform was constantly crowded with buses arriving from or departing to the entire archipelago, day and night," he wrote.
The publication stirred memories among those who had used the terminal for years to travel between Havana and other provinces.
"That terminal was always crowded. I traveled for five years between Ciego and Havana and vice versa. It makes you want to cry," commented a Cuban woman. Another recalled a time when the interprovincial fare cost 11 pesos and she could board a bus without waiting more than an hour.
An empty terminal amidst the collapse of transportation
The photograph reflects a mobility crisis that has deepened in 2026 due to the extreme fuel shortages and the decline of public transportation.
Cuba remained for months without receiving regular supplies of imported oil following the disruption of shipments from Venezuela and Mexico. A Russian shipment of around 730,000 barrels arrived at the end of March, but the reserves were depleted again.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation in May by stating that the country had "absolutely nothing" in terms of diesel or fuel oil to sustain the electrical system.
Transportation has been one of the main victims of the crisis. In February, the urban service in Havana came to a standstill due to a lack of fuel, while in June the Ministry of Transportation implemented severe cuts to interprovincial connections.
The National Buses between Havana and the provincial capitals have changed from daily departures to three weekly frequencies, while destinations such as Baracoa, Manzanillo, and Moa have been reduced to one departure per week.
National trains to the east have also been reduced: from 62 monthly services, they have now decreased to just 16, a reduction of 74%, with schedules in some cases reaching one departure every 16 days.
Difficulties were compounded by new changes in ticket sales, including the suspension of operations of the Viajando app and the return of some sales to physical agencies, with reservations limited to a few days in advance.
From 1,500 buses to a "deserted" image
The contrast is particularly symbolic given the history of the place. The National Bus Terminal, inaugurated on June 19, 1951, was then considered one of the most modern and well-equipped facilities of its kind in the world. The building was designed to accommodate a daily traffic of up to 45,000 passengers and 1,500 buses, a detail that accentuates the contrast with its current image of virtually empty platforms.
More than seven decades later, the photograph of an empty platform joins other images circulated during the 2026 crisis: streets almost devoid of vehicles, the Havana tunnel deserted, and areas of José Martí International Airport affected by blackouts and a limited number of travelers.
In response to the nostalgia expressed by those recalling a bustling terminal, Batista replied with just four words: "It hurts, my friend. It hurts a lot."
A phrase that summarizes the impact of an image where the absence of buses tells another story: that of a country in which traveling from one province to another has become an odyssey for thousands of Cubans.
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