In Cuba, all-night lines for 5 gallons of gas as residents grapple with shortages
HAVANA — Taxi driver José Menenses slept in his 1952 Ford convertible with hundreds of other drivers to keep his place in line to get his allotted 5 gallons of gasoline amid the country’s fuel shortage.
“It’s not the first time we’ve been in big trouble, so we’ve always managed to have a plan B,” he replied when asked what he would do if shortages prevented him from driving people. In Havana, people are also transported by bicycle or horse-drawn taxi.
Menenses said he had to find a second job as a food vendor to make ends meet. He considers himself lucky because his children have small businesses that earn him some money, and he has a small solar generator in his house and food in his refrigerator.
“I love what I do,” Menenses told NBC News. But these days there are few tourists and virtually no gas, a phenomenon exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s oil blockade of the island in January.
Queues also formed at a street market for basic food items like potatoes – for those who could afford them. “Today is market day but I can’t buy because I can’t afford it,” said a young mother.
At an upholstery company in central Havana, Giovanni Rafael Peleta was happy there was power – unlike the recent blackout that lasted a day. “It’s like having a rope around your neck,” he said.
He said he appreciated help from any country, including the United States. “Things are just too dire to continue throwing stones,” he said.
Nelson Pérez, a barber, said there was an urgent need for change. “We’re tired,” he said as he cut a little boy’s hair. On social media, Pérez posted protest messages calling for profound democratic and economic changes in Cuba.
Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, Cuba’s deputy prime minister, told NBC News in an exclusive interview that the country is willing to maintain smooth business relations with U.S. companies and “also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants.” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called for “immediate” economic changes earlier this month, as the Trump administration pushed for changes in government leadership and economics.
