“The few that are operational will not be able to carry out all of the planned trips,” authorities say.
14ymedio, Havana, 7 January 2025 — Almost all GAZelle minibuses operating in Havana are currently out of service due to a lack of fuel. This was announced on Wednesday by local authorities in a Facebook post, in which they explained that “only a small number” of GAZelle minibuses are currently operating and “the few that are operational will not be able to complete all of their scheduled trips.”
They will operate, the brief report continues, “as long as fuel supplies allow.” The government in Havana has pledged to keep the population informed, offering “sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused” and rhetorically assuring that it is “working hard to keep them updated as quickly as possible.”
The post was immediately flooded with angry comments. “And where do they get the fuel and resources they are spending on the famous freedom caravan?” asks Jorge Suárez, referring to the demonstrations organized by the ruling party to mark the anniversary of the triumph of the Castro revolution. “Every year, that same caravan wastes the people’s resources, and no one pays attention to these things anymore. How long are they going to force us to live with unpleasant memories of the past?”
Another user, Luis Armando Piloto Pérez, says: “Let’s hope that when the oil comes in, things will return to normal, because since August we know that in the municipality of Cotorro there are 27 gas stations and only 9 or 10 of them are working.” And he continues: “Recently, the oil has been coming in and nothing has gotten better.”
Sorry, but those are gargoyles, because they only come out at night. If they come out during the day, they turn to stone.
Some make jokes when complaining about the gazelle service, such as Carlos Blet: “Sorry, but those are gargoyles, because they only come out at night; if they come out during the day, they turn to stone.” But most people are angry. “They’re shameless. I travel every day on
routes 22 and 11, which go to Havana, and during the day there are hardly ever any buses because of the fuel problem. At night, route 22 appears as if by magic and charges between 400 and 500 pesos,” complains Gledis Soler Serrano, showing that the problem is not new.
A year ago, in fact, the Minister of Transportation himself, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, revealed that there was only enough fuel for just over 60% of the total number of buses in service, 435 at that time. Breakdowns have also reduced the number of these vehicles, rendering these routes useless.
To help with these problems and replace the old Russian GAZelle vehicles, Cuba imported a hundred Chinese Foton minibuses in the middle of the year, which are not mentioned at all in Wednesday’s publication. In any case, these also had numerous faults as soon as they were put into service.
Today’s announcement coincides, however, with growing fears on the island that oil will become even scarcer, following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and the United States’ attempts to control fuel supplies to the Cuban regime’s main ally.
Translated by GH
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