MANDATORY Gas App Traps Cuba Drivers

Cuba’s communist government tried to “fix” gas lines with a mandatory app—and ended up rationing freedom of movement into a months-long digital waiting list.

Story Snapshot

Cuba now requires drivers to use the Ticket smartphone app to schedule gasoline purchases as shortages worsen.
Appointments are being pushed weeks or months out, with some drivers receiving queue numbers in the thousands while stations handle only 50–90 daily.
The government ended subsidized local-currency gasoline sales, shifting fuel access to dollar-based pricing many workers cannot afford.
President Trump’s tariff threats against countries selling oil to Cuba coincided with Venezuela and Mexico cutting off shipments in January 2026.
Blackouts, reduced public services, and flight disruptions show the fuel crisis is spilling into the wider economy.

Mandatory “Ticket” App Turns a Fuel Shortage Into a Digital Bottleneck

Cuba’s government has made the Ticket app mandatory for refueling appointments, presenting it as a way to reduce chaos at gas stations. On the ground, the new system is producing massive backlogs. Drivers report receiving appointment numbers in the thousands, even as typical stations can serve only about 50 customers a day, with some reaching 90. The result is a new kind of rationing: not just scarce gasoline, but scarce access to the pump.

Ticket isn’t new—Cubans have used it for years for appointments, including at some gas stations when fuel could still be bought in local currency at subsidized prices. What changed is the government’s decision to move from optional scheduling to an enforced gatekeeper for a basic necessity. The app reportedly allows sign-ups at only one station at a time, pushing drivers to swap tips via WhatsApp about which locations process more appointments each day.

Trump-Era Pressure Meets Collapsing Suppliers, and Havana Blames an “Energy Blockade”

The shortage intensified as President Trump threatened tariffs on nations that sell oil to Cuba, raising the cost of doing business with Havana for foreign suppliers. Around the same time, Venezuela—long a key source of Cuban oil—halted crude shipments after the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his extradition to New York on drug trafficking charges. Mexico also cut off shipments after the tariff threats, leaving Cuba scrambling for alternatives.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has labeled the situation an “energy blockade” and says he is willing to negotiate with the United States “as equals” while maintaining sovereignty. UN human rights experts criticized U.S. oil restrictions as incompatible with international law and lacking a collective-security basis. Those statements capture the diplomatic dispute, but they don’t change the practical reality inside Cuba: when a government controls supply and the “line,” citizens have little recourse when the system fails.

Dollar-Priced Gasoline Deepens Inequality and Fuels a Black Market

Cuba’s government eliminated subsidized gasoline sales in local currency and shifted official purchases toward dollar-priced fuel—reported at about $1.30 per liter. At the same time, government workers are reported to earn under $20 per month when converted to dollars, making legal fuel effectively unreachable for many. Predictably, black-market prices have been reported as high as $6 per liter, a sign that scarcity plus bureaucracy is driving transactions out of view.

The government also limits purchases to 20 liters per appointment—about 5.2 gallons—meaning even successful app users must ration driving between visits. For families, that can translate into fewer trips to work, fewer visits to relatives, and less flexibility during medical emergencies. For small businesses dependent on vehicles, limited fuel and uncertain scheduling can choke operations. The research provided does not quantify nationwide fuel volumes, so the full scale is hard to measure, but the constraints described are severe.

Broader Breakdown: Blackouts, Flight Disruptions, and Preferential Treatment for Tourism

Fuel shortages are hitting more than drivers. Reports describe intensified blackouts and cutbacks designed to conserve electricity, including reduced public transport and shortened bank hours. Cuba’s government announced it would not provide fuel to planes landing on the island, prompting three Canadian airlines to cancel flights while others added refueling stops in the Dominican Republic. The government also postponed a book fair and an annual cigar trade fair to reduce fuel and power consumption.

Even within the crisis, the state appears to be managing priorities. Tourism vehicles reportedly retain access to 44 designated stations, though they still face purchase limits and long queues. That kind of carve-out may protect a key revenue stream, but it also underscores a two-tier system: those tied to tourism or hard currency get a path forward, while ordinary workers face app queues, dollar pricing, and shrinking public services. No clear official timeline for relief has been announced.

Cuban drivers face monthslong wait for gasoline in a government app designed to reduce lines https://t.co/uXOq4r5Jjd

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 17, 2026

For Americans watching from 2026, the story is a reminder that “there’s an app for that” doesn’t solve the underlying problem when the underlying problem is central control, weak production, and political leverage over supply. The Ticket system may reduce physical lines at the curb, but it replaces them with a government-controlled digital gate—one that can quietly delay citizens for months. When transportation becomes permission-based, daily life becomes permission-based too.