Months of long lines due to increasing shortages of diesel and gasoline have reached a tipping point, leaving many Bolivian residents stranded without the ability to fill their tanks or rely on public transportation.
Some are spending nights camped out with their vehicles in anticipation of fuel arriving the next day. The crisis grew worse during Bolivia’s Carnival celebration, which usually spans a ten-day period from the end of February through the first week of March.
An ongoing lack of foreign currency to pay for fuel imports is at the heart of the country’s shortages. Bolivian President Luis Arce’s administration has admitted to not having enough foreign currency to purchase more fuel, adding that domestic production can’t address the population’s needs.
“We’re not going to be able to meet our [supply] targets in this timeframe. We’re only delivering at 40 percent or 50 percent capacity. We’re not going to be able to fully meet the productive sector’s needs,” Armin Dorgathen, president of the state-owned natural resource company YPFB, said during a press conference.
Calls for the immediate removal of Arce and his administration have been widespread on social media. Members of the government have also asked Arce to step down.
Congressman Pablo Arizaga Ruiz told reporters at the news outlet Brujula, “If Arce is not able to handle this crisis, he should quit.”
Arce responded to these public demands by refusing to resign during a March 12 press conference.
“I want to clarify for many politicians who, clearly with the intention of destabilizing and creating unrest, are talking about our country being bankrupt. Bolivia is not bankrupt. Bolivia has an economy that continues to generate public investment and redistribute income among Bolivians,” Arce said.
During the same address, Arce emphasized the need for congress to approve external loans to purchase more fuel and refused to consider working with the International Monetary Fund.
Life on Pause
In Santa Cruz, cars and trucks stretch in a line toward the horizon under a grey sky as Pedro Flores sits in the grass next to his parked taxi. He told The Epoch Times his car had been parked for more than 24 hours and he didn’t want to give up his spot in line for the gas station.“This is my second try this week. I don’t have enough gas to work or even get home at this point,” Flores said.
With two young children and a wife at home, Flores can’t afford not to work. The nation’s fuel shortages have been particularly hard for workers in the transportation sector, and Flores is stuck in limbo with them, waiting to fill his gas tank.
“Some of us have created WhatsApp groups and hold space so people [in the line] can get some food or use a bathroom. When the line moves, we text the group so people can get back before the cars pass them and they lose their place,” he said.
Flores said he plans to sleep in his car for the second time in less than a week. He added if you aren’t willing to spend the night, don’t bother trying to get in line the next day.
“Even the big stations will run out before your turn,” he said.
Like Flores, Miguel Martin has also spent excessive time waiting in lines for fuel delivery in recent weeks. Martin doesn’t work in transport but he needs his vehicle to get to work in Santa Cruz since he lives in a rural suburb called Urubo.
“We don’t have a lot of public transportation here [in Urubo] to begin with, so we can’t count on that as a second choice,” Martin told The Epoch Times.
In some of Santa Cruz’s rural suburbs, buses are limited even under normal circumstances. The nearest supermarket, doctor, or school can be miles away.
Martin said he’s angry at Arce’s government because it refuses to surrender its stranglehold on the country’s resources or release the fuel subsidies that have kept prices at the pump low.
“Get rid of the subsidies, bring in more international companies; this is how we guarantee the supply [of fuel],” Martin said.
When asked if he plans to spend the night waiting in line with his car, Martin shrugged. “At this point, probably. The rumor is a truck will arrive by 4 a.m., and I’m close enough [in the line] that I could fill up.”
Martin said he got lucky last week and only had to wait about four hours to top up his gas tank.
For those whose cars are farther down the line, it could be two or three fuel truck deliveries before they can fill up.
Tough Choices
Fuel shortages have made life challenging, even for those not passing hours in line.
Long-distance bus services between the cities have also been affected. In Santa Cruz, long-distance bus operators have pulled 30 percent of their fleet off the road due to a lack of diesel.
Urban public transportation in Santa Cruz is also suffering. Since only an estimated 25 percent of Bolivian families own a car, public transportation is a critical lifeline between home and work for many.
“I’m out the door to wait for a bus by 5:30 [a.m.] at the latest. I don’t even start work until 8 [a.m.],” Miranda Paredes, a cafe barista, told The Epoch Times.
Paredes said not only is it taking longer for public buses to arrive but a lot of times, they’re already full. “Sometimes there’s only room to stand and it’s so full, the [bus] door can barely close.”
She has friends who’ve opted to stay overnight at their jobs and take showers at nearby gyms during the work week to avoid the hassle of finding transportation to and from home.
“I hope I won’t have to start doing that soon but we'll see. It’s crazy to think people are having to choose between their families and their job,” Paredes said.
On March 14, the mayor of Santa Cruz, Jhonny Fernández, declared a state of emergency over the fuel shortages, which have heavily impacted the department’s farming and export sectors. The municipal executive of the town of Porongo, Neptaly Mendoza, did the same a few hours earlier.
“The frequency of garbage collection has decreased by about 30 percent, as have suppliers. That’s why we’re declaring an emergency and why all institutions need to understand that we need to join forces to get out of this,” Fernández stated.
