Cubans pay high price for scare gasolene

HAVANA, Cuba (AP):

Some Cubans are paying nearly $1,000 per litre of gas on the black market as fuel shortages caused by a US oil siege intensify.

The Cuban government has stopped selling gasolene in local currency at subsidised rates of about 25 cents (approximately J$40) per litre, and is now only selling more expensive fuel, priced in US dollars.

A litre of gasolene currently sells for US$1.30 (approximately J$200) at gas stations and can cost up to US$6 (approximately J$938) in the growing black market for gasolene.

Drivers in Cuba are facing the prospects of waiting several months to refuel their cars, as fuel shortages caused by a US oil siege intensify.

To avoid chaos outside gas stations, Cuba's government last week made it obligatory for drivers to use an app known as Ticket to get refuelling appointments.

But drivers in Havana told The Associated Press yesterday that the app is only awarding them appointments several weeks or months from now.

"I have (appointment) number seven thousand and something," said Jorge Reyes, a 65-year-old who downloaded the app on Monday.

Reyes signed up to refuel at a gas station in Havana that is only awarding 50 appointments per day. "When will I be able to buy gas again?" he said.

The app only allows drivers to sign up for appointments at one gas station at a time. So, on WhatsApp groups some drivers are sharing information on which places might be less crowded or which gas stations have a greater capacity to serve customers, noting that some locations are awarding up to 90 appointments per day.

But that is of little comfort to those who have downloaded the app, only to find out there are up to 10,000 appointments ahead of theirs.

When drivers can finally refuel at service stations, they are only allowed to buy 20 litres of gasolene, or about 5.2 gallons.

"This will not last me long," said Ariel Alonso, a businessman who refuelled Monday at the El Riviera gas station.

"I have to leave a reserve of five litres in case anyone gets sick at home," and has to be taken to the hospital, he said.