A video circulated on social media this Friday showed a woman confronting inspectors in Havana and accusing them of demanding money from drivers of bike taxis and tricycles, amid a strong public reaction on social media.
In the recording, shared via the Facebook profile of the digital platform Cántalo TV, the woman identified the officials as "the same ones who asked for money on Facebook" and accused them of fining drivers after demanding payments.
"They are the same ones who ask for money and issue fines," he stated during the confrontation.
One of the inspectors demanded that she stop recording him. The woman continued to document the incident and publicly questioned the actions of the officials, whom she accused of turning transportation oversight into a means of illegal extortion.
The comments posted alongside the video place those involved in the areas of San Miguel del Padrón and La Virgen del Camino in the Cuban capital. According to several internet users, at least one of the inspectors left the location after noticing that he was being filmed.
The recording sparked numerous reactions from users who supported the woman and questioned the behavior of the inspectors. Some described the incident as "corruption and extortion in its purest form," while others noted that public officials can also be recorded while performing their duties.
The accusations extended beyond the specific incident. Some commentators argued that traffic inspectors must hand over money to superiors working in the offices, although these claims are part of user comments and were not substantiated by the available information.
Skepticism about a potential sanction also emerged among the reactions to the video. "Nobody gets fired here," wrote one user, while another asserted that this type of practice has become "the most normal thing these days."
The episode takes place after the Cuban government modified the remuneration scheme for inspectors in January 2025, introducing a "performance-based" payment mechanism announced by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero. Under this system, earnings were linked to the number and amount of fines imposed, with base salaries ranging from 5,810 to 7,830 pesos per month.
This model introduces an incentive that is directly related to the sanctioning activities of the inspectors and serves as the context in which citizen reports of abuses and illegal charges resurface.
The available information, however, does not indicate that the officials in the video acted under that mechanism nor does it confirm the accusations made against them.
"How long are we going to continue putting up with the same corrupt inspectors taking money from those who are working hard... how long will the government keep covering up the wrongdoing?" questioned one of the users.
The complaint thus puts inspectors back at the center of public discontent, while social media serves as a platform to voice accusations that, at least in this case, are not accompanied by an official explanation of what transpired.
In April, a viral complaint revealed that inspectors admitted to fining businesses without any real violation because "it was mandatory to fine". In August, three inspectors imposed fines of 48,000 pesos on an entrepreneur and his retired employee for contractual irregularities.
Passenger tricycles are a mode of transportation that has proliferated due to the collapse of state public transport. This year, the authorities have tightened controls over this sector. Earlier this month, a transport operator in Holguín was fined 2,000 pesos for not visibly displaying the rates on his electric tricycle.
Citizen resistance to these abuses is not new either. In March 2025, a group of neighbors confronted and expelled inspectors attempting to extort a bicycle taxi driver, in a video that also went viral.
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