A bus from the National Bus Company was damaged in the front after colliding with a cow early Thursday morning on a stretch of the Central Highway near Ciego de Ávila.
The news was shared this Sunday in the group Facebook Las Guaguas Cubanas y el Transporte en Cuba, where the post garnered over 200 reactions and dozens of comments.
The images show unit 1394, identified by several users as belonging to the Holguín base, with a dented front bumper, detached parts, and visible damage to the front bodywork.
According to a user's account in the comments, the cattle was allegedly first struck by a car whose driver did not stop and ended up throwing the animal against the bus. This version has not been independently confirmed.
The same user highlighted the driver's maneuver to avoid worse consequences and expressed concern about the irresponsibility of animal owners who allow their animals to roam freely on the roads.
The discussion quickly shifted to the responsibility of the cattle owners. "What a disaster, all because of the irresponsible ones who don't fix the fence properly and don't secure the animals well," noted one of the commentators.
Another user, who claimed to be a driver, stated that cows on the roads have caused accidents in the past and questioned why their owners do not face severe penalties.
"Those cows seem to be somewhat owners of the roads; they have caused many accidents, but there has been no severe punishment for the owners," he wrote.
Several participants also demanded that the owner of the cattle cover the costs resulting from the accident. "They should charge the owner of the cow for the damages to the bus and all the damages, but nothing happens, and it all stays this way," lamented one of them.
Another user pointed out the magnitude of the problem in that area by stating, "There are many animals on the road on that highway."
Although the incident did not result in any human casualties, the comments reflected a concern that goes beyond the damages to the bus and highlights the risk posed by loose livestock for those traveling on Cuban roads.
Loose animals on roads have caused fines exceeding 2.2 million pesos in the first half of 2025 alone, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, which also identified 106 loose animals and imposed around 210 fines during that period. The provinces with the highest incidence are Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, and Mayabeque.
In July 2024, a bus collided with a cow on the Santa Clara highway, and in March 2023 a loose animal caused an accident in Villa Clara with passengers hospitalized.
Decree Law 60 on the Registration and Control of Animals establishes penalties for negligent owners, but its enforcement has proven insufficient to curb incidents.
At the national level, traffic accidents resulted in 750 deaths in 2025, a number higher than the 634 fatalities recorded the previous year, which demonstrates that the measures taken so far have not succeeded in reversing the trend.
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