Long lines in Mexico to stock up on a few gallons of gasoline

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The shortage of gasoline due to problems in the supply of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) in at least eight states generates queues of several hours and rationing of hydrocarbons for several days, before a growing nervousness of the population.

The lack of gasoline today affects thousands of motorists who have had to travel several kilometers and service stations to half stock the tank of their car, while many others have preferred to move on public transport.

In some cases, users spent the night at the stations to keep their place while some of the pipes arrived.

A few branches managed to stock their pumps at night and offer the service in a rationalized manner. That is, each user can load only 10 or 20 liters of gasoline.

José de Jesús Huerta is a taxi driver and told Efe today that he could not find gas in ten stations and was forced to load a few liters in the only one in the center of the city that had all its pumps full.

“I had been told that today everything was going to be restored, but the truth is not and all day I’ve been struggling for gasoline, now I’m with the pure reserve, I have 40 minutes formed because it is the only place where there is,” he said.

The driver indicated that the shortage of fuel has hurt all his fellow transporters because they can not continue working.

His strategy has been to supply as much gasoline as possible in the stations he finds in order to continue his journey.

“With 10 liters I work a little bit now, and tomorrow,” he said.

The manager of this branch told Efe that the order was to sell only 10 liters per car to guarantee the service to as many users as possible, because nobody knows how long the service will be regularized.

The demand has been such that the Guadalajara Police implemented a device to monitor the hydrocarbon stations in the city and ensure the safety of consumers.

In some of the stations visited the managers refused to sell the fuel to users who arrived with drums and whose cars had been stranded in some street.

The intention is to avoid that these people take advantage of the situation to resell that gasoline, explained one of the managers.

The mayor of Zapopan reported in a statement on Saturday that 50 of the municipal patrols had to stop activities due to a shortage of fuel.

José Lepe sees his cell phone while waiting his turn at a station. He explained to Efe that he returned from a trip a few hours ago and found the “surprise” of the gasoline shortage.

“It seems that they are only selling 10 liters, I think it’s good for everyone because if not, it’s going to end,” he said.

A few cars later, Rogelio Cervantes finishes loading fuel with his wife after 40 minutes of waiting. For him, the shortage is “a normal reaction to the theft of fuel by the people of Pemex.”

Pablo Gonzalez, president of the Mexican Association of Gasoline Businessmen, said in recent days that the gas supply is not guaranteed before Monday.

On Friday, the Attorney General’s Office announced that in the last 15 days they have secured 261.litres of illegal hydrocarbons and locating 34 clandestine taps,

In Jalisco 119,500 liters were insured; in Tamaulipas, 63,780 liters; in the State of Mexico, 50,317 liters; while in Queretaro and Puebla, 27. 620 liters of fuel.

Given the nervousness of the public, Petróleos Mexicanos reported on Saturday that it increased operations in most of the affected states to distribute gasoline and assured that the supply will be normalized “as soon as possible.”

Days after the arrival of López Obrador on December 1, the Executive and Pemex implemented changes in the supply of gasoline throughout the country to prevent the theft of hydrocarbons, which they estimate generated losses in the order of 66,300 million pesos ( about 3,382 million dollars) in 2018.

Source: EFE

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