Drivers in Cuba Are Now Waiting Weeks, Months for Gas

Drivers across Cuba are being told they may have to wait months to refuel as worsening fuel shortages grip the island. To prevent disorder at gas stations, the government recently made it mandatory to use an app called Ticket to book refueling appointments. But motorists in Havana say the app is assigning them dates weeks or even months away.

“I’ve got appointment number seven-thousand-something,” said Jorge Reyes, 65, who installed the app on Monday. He registered at a Havana station that issues only about 50 appointments daily. “When will I be able to buy gas again?” he asked.

Because Ticket allows users to queue at just one station at a time, drivers have turned to WhatsApp groups to swap tips on less crowded locations or sites with higher daily quotas—some reportedly offering up to 90 slots. Even so, many users discover that thousands of appointments remain ahead of them.

Authorities have also halted sales of subsidized gasoline in local currency—previously about 25 cents per liter—and now sell only pricier fuel priced in U.S. dollars. Officially, gasoline costs about $1.30 per liter at stations and up to $6 per liter on the expanding black market. State employees in Cuba typically earn under $20 a month.

Purchases are capped at 20 liters (about 5.2 gallons) per visit. “This won’t last long,” said Ariel Alonso, a businessman who managed to refuel Monday. He said he tries to keep five liters in reserve in case a family member needs to reach a hospital.

The Ticket platform is operated by XETID, a state-owned technology company. Its commercial director, Saumel Tejada, told the news site Cuba Debate that more than 90,000 drivers had requested refueling appointments through the app.

Ticket has existed for three years and was previously used to schedule notary services and subsidized fuel purchases. Now it is effectively the only legal route for most motorists to get gasoline without resorting to the black market. Vehicles serving the tourism sector are exempt: they carry special plates and can refuel at 44 designated stations nationwide, though long lines are common there as well. Like private cars, tourism vehicles are limited to 20 liters per purchase.

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