“We have been waiting for eight days for a bus that would at least take us to Las Tunas, so that we could continue on our way as best we could.”

14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 29 December 2025 – On December 28, Maritza is not surprised that the waiting list to travel from Cienfuegos to Guantanamo has advanced only four numbers in a week. “I warned my husband at the end of October to come and reserve the tickets, because everyone knows that after the second half of December it is almost impossible to travel to any province in the country.” Reinaldo, on the other hand, finding excuses so that his wife would not reprimand him, did not help much. In the end, both ended up sitting, luggage in hand, at the entrance to the national bus terminal waiting for a miracle to happen.
The couple had never had such a hard time leaving Cienfuegos. “When I came on November 20, there were no more seats for any city in the East. However, the same employee who gave me that information had saved three spots for a woman who was behind me in the line,” explains the husband, who then noticed the reason for the incessant calls and notes from the official.
“I don’t know how much money was being sought for each ticket, but I’m convinced that for those of us who weren’t in direct contact with him, the reservations were sold out before we asked the question,” he reflects.
The waiting room on the second floor of the terminal is currently full of people who come to sign up, check their numbers or stay for many hours until a bus arrives with an empty seat, which, at this time of year, almost never happens.

“We have been waiting for eight days for a bus that would at least take us to Las Tunas, so that we could continue on our way as best we could. Luckily, we live close by, but there are people who have spent several nights here and won’t leave until they get a ticket,” explains Maritza.
The woman, who in the long days of ’bus-hunting’ has become familiar with the atmosphere of the terminal, says that the workers who have access to the passenger lists rule the lounges. “If someone decides to protest, the employee at the ticket office says that they are waiting for extra buses to be put on, but he says that to calm things down,” she says.
The couple has also learned in recent days how to play their cards well, to look for tricks to buy tickets and to get the employees to recognize them. “The shift manager always guarantees at least three seats for those who can pay 2,000 pesos more than the original ticket price,” says Maritza, who blames the “tricks” for the fact that the waiting list does not advance.
“My wife and I would have to pay 4,000 pesos, plus the tickets, if we wanted to leave quickly. I wish we had that money, but for now we can only be patient and pray that the New Year doesn’t catch us here,” says Reinaldo.
The hygiene and services at the terminal “are not such that people would spend days here,” relying on the facilities. “The women’s bathroom is closed, there is no area to store luggage, some benches are broken and the cafeteria has no services. Added to this is the indifference of the workers. Their job is to solve the problem only for those who can pay,” adds Maritza, who admits that she feels as if she were stranded on the road and “not in a terminal.”

The noise from the street that filters into the station brings the voices of private drivers offering trips to the capital. “Two days ago, a trip to Havana was charging 6,000 pesos, but today there are taxi drivers talking about 10,000 pesos per person. They also raised the prices to 5,000 and 7,000 pesos for trips to Matanzas and Varadero,” says Maritza, attentive to the bustle of drivers and the prices in case she ever needs to go west.
“This is the time of year when everyone who has a car takes advantage of the opportunity to earn a little more, although it is also true that fuel is impossible and repairs cost an arm and a leg. Many of the drivers are as shocked as we are, but they prefer to wait rather than lower the price,” says Reinaldo.
A quick movement of people towards the waiting list ticket office immediately attracts the attention of all the travelers. Reinaldo’s wife remains seated watching over the luggage, while the Reinaldo walks with a firm step towards the interior of the terminal. After a few minutes, the group of people gathered together dissolves and the information arrives first-hand. “A bus came in that is going to Holguín. At first they said there were four seats, but, in the end, there is only one,” he says, and adds resignedly: “That’s not ours either.”
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