…Not that I’m going there anytime soon.
But anyway, if I’m just a private citizen driving around in Havana, where would I stop to get gas for my car?
I know that Cuba’s communist, and that they nationalized the local holdings of American oil companies after the revolution. So I’m assuming that there aren’t many “Texaco” stations around. But are there any chains of gas stations? Or only isolated, individually owned gas stations (i.e. “Fred’s Filling Station”)? Or are they all state-run? Or is it none of the above?
Well, thanks for your time,
Ranchoth
There’s a state-owned oil company named Cuba Petróleo, abbreviated to CUPET, which runs filling stations. This site lists stations in and around Havana.
Well, if you’re a private citizen, as in a Cuban citizen, you’ll receive of book of ration coupons allowing you to buy a set amount of fuel per month. I can’t find any links to what the ration is nowadays, but it’s some ridiculous low amount, something like 10 liters per month for a car or truck, that’s about 2.5 gallons. Naturally, there’s a thriving black market where more fuel can be obtained, and if you have dollars you can get anything in Cuba, including gasoline.
As a tourist, if you rent a car you’ll get a list of gas stations where you’re allowed to buy gas, but like I mentioned before if you have dollars you can get gas anywhere. But to get to the point I think you were getting to, the gas stations in Cuba are not Texaco or any other oil company name, they tend to have official names like “Estacion Gasolinera Heroes de la Revolucion” or “Heroes of the Revolution Gas Station”, but they’re usually called something unofficial like “La Bujia”, or “The Sparkplug”.