Months of long lines due to diesel and gasoline shortages in Bolivia have reached a tipping point, leaving many 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 10-day period from the end of February through the first week of March.
A 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, noting that domestic production cannot address the population’s needs.
“We’re not going to be able to meet our [supply] targets in this time frame,” Armin Dorgathen, president of the state-owned natural resource company YPFB, said during a news conference. “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.”
Many on social media have called for the immediate removal of Arce and his administration. Members of the government have also asked Arce to step down.
“If Arce is not able to handle this crisis, he should quit,” Wálter Pablo Arízaga Ruiz, member of Bolivia’s Chamber of Deputies, told reporters at the news outlet Brújula.
Arce responded to these public demands by refusing to resign during a March 12 news 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,” Arce said. “Bolivia is not bankrupt. Bolivia has an economy that continues to generate public investment and redistribute income among Bolivians.”
During the same address, Arce emphasized the need for legislators to approve external loans to purchase more fuel and refused to consider working with the International Monetary Fund.
Life on Pause
In the department of Santa Cruz, cars and trucks stretched in a line toward the horizon under a gray sky. Pedro Flores sat in the grass next to his parked taxi. He told The Epoch Times that his car had been parked for more than 24 hours and that he did not want to give up his spot in line for the gas station.“This is my second try this week,” Flores said. “I don’t have enough gas to work or even get home at this point.”
Flores has two young children and a wife at home. 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,” he said. “When the line moves, we text the group so people can get back before the cars pass them and they lose their place.”
Flores told The Epoch Times that he was planning to sleep in his car for the second time in less than a week. He said if you are not willing to spend the night, you should not 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 does not work in transportation, but he needs his vehicle to get to work in Santa Cruz, since he lives in a rural suburb called Urubó.
“We don’t have a lot of public transportation [in Urubó] 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 is 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,” Martin said. “This is how we guarantee the supply [of fuel].”
When asked if he planned to spend the night waiting in line with his car, Martin shrugged.
“At this point, probably,” he said. “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'd been lucky the previous 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.In Santa Cruz, long-distance bus operators have pulled 30 percent of their fleets off the road because of a lack of diesel.
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,” Miranda Paredes, a cafe barista, told The Epoch Times. “I don’t even start work until 8 [a.m.].”
Paredes said it is taking longer for public buses to arrive. When they do come, they are often already full.
“Sometimes, there’s only room to stand, and it’s so full, the [bus] door can barely close,” she said.
She has friends who have opted to stay overnight at their jobs and take showers at nearby gyms during the workweek 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,” Paredes said. “It’s crazy to think people are having to choose between their families and their job.”
On March 14, Santa Cruz Mayor Jhonny Fernández declared a state of emergency over the fuel shortages, which have heavily affected the department’s farming and export sectors, as well as sanitation services.
“The frequency of garbage collection has decreased by about 30 percent, as have suppliers,” Fernández stated. “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.”
