- The Viajando platform and physical booking agencies will cease operations from June 17th.
- Domestic train frequencies will be reduced to one trip every 16 days due to supply shortages.
- The government will prioritize the use of fuel for the transport of food and critical cargo at ports.
- The use of electric vehicles and tricycles will be promoted to try to alleviate the deficit in local transport.
The situation for those needing to travel around the island has become drastically more complicated in recent days. What until recently was a fundamental tool for managing domestic travel, the well-known mobile app Viajando, now has an expiration date. This decision, which has caught many by surprise, is due to a deep restructuring of the transport sector motivated by the lack of energy resources that stifles the normal functioning of public services.
Until June 17th, there's still a small window of opportunity for those planning a trip. The company Viajero has kept its sales calendar active for the first half of the month, allowing users Purchase your train and bus tickets through the usual channels. However, from that date, the system will enter an indefinite hiatus, leaving up in the air how the few remaining seats available to the public will be managed.
A planned closure for the digital platform
The measure not only affects the convenience of buying from a mobile phone, but also implies the closure of physical booking agencies. The official argument is quite straightforward: the supply of places will be so limited that it doesn't make sense to maintain an open sales infrastructure. According to industry representatives, the aim is to prevent people from queuing or Try booking trips that simply aren't going to exist.It is a complicated situation that requires prioritizing only those transfers considered to be of extreme necessity or urgency.
This suspension of technology in ticket sales also opens a debate about controlling the few tickets that are issued. The authorities themselves have admitted that eliminating these transparent channels could increase the risk of discretion or unethical behavior in the allocation of places. To try to control this potential chaos, work is underway with provincial administrations to establish a manual method that, although less efficient, will allow for managing the minimum demand without completely collapsing the system.
Drastic reduction in train and bus frequencies
If the app's closure is already a major blow, the new departure times are even more discouraging. National trains, which in better times ran every few days, will now have a single frequency every 16 daysLong-distance buses have also been affected by the cuts, with services reduced to just three weekly departures from each provincial capital. This is undoubtedly a setback that will impact the mobility of thousands of people who need to cross the country for work or family reasons.
The reason for this aggressive cut is none other than the management of available fuel. In a difficult balancing act, it has been decided that diesel and gasoline must to be primarily used for the transport of goodsCurrently, hundreds of containers of food and basic goods are piled up in the ports of Mariel, Santiago de Cuba, and Nuevitas, at risk of spoiling if not distributed soon. Given this situation, moving food has become more important than moving people.
Electric alternatives for everyday use
In the midst of this storm, desperate solutions are being sought to prevent local transport from grinding to a halt. The focus now seems to be on electric mobility, with the incorporation of new tricycles and ecomobiles Manufactured in provinces such as Sancti Spíritus and Holguín. Although these vehicles are helpful for short distances and in rural areas, they are clearly insufficient to fill the gap left by traditional public transportation.
Even air transport has suffered the consequences, with the cancellation of key domestic flights due to problems with international operators. All of this creates a scenario where the Mobility becomes a luxury or in a complex bureaucratic process. Despite efforts to distribute electric vehicles for essential services, such as patient transport, the reality is that the daily life of the average citizen has become an obstacle course where reaching the destination is quite an adventure.
The current situation marks a turning point in how domestic travel is understood, shifting from a digitized system to one of extreme contingency. With the suspension of the Viajando app And with the new transport schedules, the country is preparing for a period of reduced mobility, where the absolute priority will be to ensure that basic goods reach their destination while passengers wait for better times to resume their usual routes.