Gasoline in Cuba Today: Months of Waiting and Solutions That Never Arrive

The island is facing an unprecedented fuel crisis since tensions in the region intensified. As thousands of Cubans reorganize their lives around the scarcity, gasoline has become the most precious—and most inaccessible—resource in Havana. The consequences go beyond the fuel pumps: they affect cooking, transportation, work, and the economic survival of millions of people.

Turned-off kitchens: when gasoline in Cuba is a luxury

In municipalities like Holguín, families have returned to cooking as in the past. Wood burns in the stoves while liquefied gas— that small blue cylinder once a symbol of modernity—disappears from markets. When it finally appears, its price reaches prohibitive figures: up to 50,000 Cuban pesos in the informal market. “People sit down to ask because they are desperate,” neighbors told the Cuban media 14 y medio.

The impact goes far beyond cooking. Entire businesses remain closed, public transportation operates in emergency mode, and daily work life is practically paralyzed. Trucks, taxis, and buses share the same reality: without fuel, no circulation. Without circulation, no income. Gasoline in Cuba has become the master key that closes or opens all doors of modern life.

The complicated gear: how gasoline appointments work

For those who still own a vehicle, the process of obtaining fuel has become a Kafkaesque procedure. The Cuban government implemented the Ticket app, designed— in theory— to organize chaotic access to gasoline. Drivers must register, enter their ID number, vehicle details, and license plate, and then… wait.

With luck, a confirmation arrives in two or three months. This forces travelers to plan trips weeks in advance, as if they were impossible expeditions. But even with an appointment scheduled, uncertainty persists: on the designated day, there may only be low-octane gasoline—useless for many vehicles—or nothing at all. “The game is tight, I’ve never seen it this tough,” confess motorcyclists still riding the streets of Havana with a mix of resignation and hope.

Mexico becomes the gasoline lifeline in Cuba

Amid this emergency, Mexico has elevated its role as the island’s energy supplier. A few months ago, the oil tanker Ocean Mariner arrived in Havana Bay loaded with approximately 86,000 barrels of fuel from the neighboring country, in an attempt to alleviate— even temporarily— the shortage that paralyzes the Cuban economy.

This relationship is not new, but its political context is. The capture of the Venezuelan president halted much of the shipments that traditionally arrived from Caracas, leaving Cuba more dependent than ever on Mexican supplies. U.S. officials, like Energy Secretary Chris Wright, have confirmed that the current administration will allow Mexico to continue supplying oil to the island, although Washington’s pressures on the issue remain constant.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has insisted that there are no direct talks with the U.S. administration beyond migration issues, reaffirming Cuba’s sovereignty in these energy decisions.

The invisible cost: when gasoline in Cuba is bought on credit

However, behind each fuel shipment lies a troubling economic reality. According to analysts like Gonzalo Monroy, director of the consulting firm GMEC, the Mexican sales scheme includes “a level of discount” that keeps prices artificially low, but with a trap: Cuba often does not pay immediately. Accounts receivable accumulate, generating debts that could become uncollectible before a possible government change forgives them, as happened in the past.

This unsustainable model raises questions about the long-term viability of Mexican supplies. Meanwhile, Cubans continue waiting: in gasoline queues, scheduled appointments months in advance, hoping that some structural solution will end this crisis that has redefined the terms of daily life on the island.