Ruptly
"The service stations in La Paz woke up this Monday with long lines of vehicles and public transport in search of gasoline and diesel, in a supply crisis that has lasted for weeks and affects the mobility and economy of the country. Drivers gathered at different fuel stations reported that the wait to access fuel can extend for several days, forcing them to stay in their vehicles without the minimum conditions to eat or rest. "Since Wednesday we have slept until today, which is Monday (...) It's been five days because of the gasoline," said Vicente Cusicanqui, who works as a driver. The situation has hit hundreds of transporters who depend on their vehicles to generate daily income. Walter Colque explained that many drivers survive thanks to the few supplies they managed to bring. "We are surviving with the little we brought (...) we no longer have food, we don't have water, we are drinking the water we use for the radiator," he stated. He added that he cannot go home to rest due to an attendance list system that service stations have implemented to control access to fuel. "We can't move because they take attendance lists either in the morning, in the afternoon, at noon, or at night; if we are not present, they remove us from the list," he noted. The fuel shortage also directly impacts the family economy of thousands of public transport workers, due to the inability to work normally in a context of rising prices. "We can't take it anymore (...) We are the only ones who bring bread every day and with everything being so expensive, it doesn't allow us to work," said Ever Victor, another affected driver. With more than a month of mobilizations, Bolivia has accumulated a hundred blockade points in seven departments that prevent the passage of food, medicine, fuel, and ambulances, according to the Bolivian Road Administration. Despite the fact that President Rodrigo Paz's government announced this weekend the entry of more than a million liters of gasoline and 40,000 cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to La Paz and El Alto, both cities continue to face difficulties due to restrictions on supply routes."
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