The creator of the popular Facebook profile "Holguín en fotos" received a fine of 2,000 pesos for not having the prices displayed on the electric tricycle he uses for transportation. However, the story took an unexpected turn: his 10-year-old son decided to make the missing sign by hand.
"Dad, I'm going to make the poster for you," said Danielito, his son, after hearing what had happened.
The driver had shared hours earlier about the fine on Facebook with a selfie showing him holding the ticket.
"We started the day with a fine but with the best attitude. First Ring → 50 CUP / Second Ring → 100 CUP / See you at the pickup spot," he wrote.
The post generated hundreds of comments and led the resident of Holguín to later explain in a video what had happened.
He had the documents, but he was missing the sign
The sanction was not imposed by the Traffic Police but by an official from the Department of Inspection and Supervision of the Municipal Government of Holguín (DIS).
According to the account, the inspectors arrived at the terminal next to the stadium, where the tricycles transport passengers to various locations in the city, and began to check the documentation.
"I have all the documents required for transportation to do this job. I always like to be on the right side of the law," he explained.
Everything was in order except for one requirement: I did not have a sign inside the vehicle informing passengers of the cost of the trip.
The man, who had been working as a transporter for just over a month, stated that he was unaware that it was still mandatory.
A colleague had explained to him that initially they required the poster, but supposedly it had ceased to be necessary after transitioning to the supply and demand system.
"And then I let my guard down. It's not an excuse, but I let my guard down," he acknowledged.
The transporter made it clear that he did not question being fined.
"I do not disagree with the fine. I see the fine as fair because my lack of knowledge or being misinformed does not excuse me from having it," he stated.
The fine amounted to 2,000 pesos, but he was able to pay 1,000 CUP by taking advantage of a 50% discount for making the payment within the first five days, a possibility that, he said, was explained to him by the inspector herself.
"No one told me that."
His main concern was directed at the information that those who try to meet all the requirements to work legally receive.
According to what he said, before he began transporting passengers, he had to visit at least six different institutions to obtain the necessary permits and documents.
"No one told me that," he lamented about the obligation to display the rates.
In Holguín, authorities began implementing a system of temporary special permits for electric tricycles in 2026, amid government efforts to regulate this transportation service.
The fine itself sparked another controversy among his followers. The receipt had crossed-out sections and overwritten numbers in the space designated for the amount, which led several people to advise him to contest it.
The transporter went to the collection office, but there they told him that the amount could be read and that the document was valid. He ultimately decided to pay the 1,000 pesos and, as he summarized, "get done with it."
The episode also takes place in a context of increased scrutiny on private workers. In April, a report circulated on social media showed inspectors acknowledging that they had to impose fines, even amid questions about the incentive system applied to that activity.
The poster that they now don't plan to take down
After all the bureaucracy, the explanations, and the fine, the solution came from the least expected place.
His son Danielito, only 10 years old, found out why his father had been sanctioned and decided to solve the problem himself.
"Dad, I'm going to make the poster for you," she said.
The boy handcrafted the sign with the rates, and his father placed it inside the tricycle.
Now, beyond fulfilling the requirement that resulted in the fine, the sign holds a completely different value for him.
"I have a terrible fondness for him," she confessed.
And he assured that he plans to keep it even if one day it is no longer mandatory:
"Maybe tomorrow they'll tell me that I no longer need to have that sign on the tricycle, and I will let it go."
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