The immense suffering endured by Cubans without oil since the day after America's invasion of Venezuela.

The streets of Havana, Cuba, are enveloped in an astonishing silence today. The usual roar of old cars has faded from those streets, but the sound of iron clashing from the seabed tells the world the struggle for survival of an entire nation striving to make ends meet in the face of sanctions.

It is the "Ciclobús," a diesel bus that travels through a three-kilometer-long underwater tunnel running across Havana Bay. In the face of the most severe energy crisis Cuba has faced in decades, this unique bus has become the only answer to the transportation problem of ordinary people. With the fuel shortage causing cars to disappear from the roads, Cubans who rely on bicycles, electric motorcycles, and scooters for their transportation are legally prohibited from traveling directly through this tunnel. Their only alternative is to travel about sixteen kilometers through another route filled with factories to reach their workplaces. However, more than two thousand passengers daily board this government bus with their two-wheeled vehicles to avoid that extremely arduous journey.

This journey is not merely a convenience but an essential economic factor for the people. The average monthly salary of a state sector employee in Cuba is about 7,000 Cuban pesos. Traveling through the tunnel by private taxi costs about 1,000 pesos, which is equivalent to a week's salary for an average worker. However, the Ciclobús fare is an extremely small amount, between 2 and 5 pesos. "We have no other option. There's hardly any public transport, and we can't afford a private taxi. That's why we take this bus," says Ingrid Quintana, who works in Old Havana, standing next to her husband's bicycle. Barbero Cabral, a 32-year-old passenger, says that since most job opportunities in the city are located on the other side of the tunnel, they are compelled to make this dark journey.

The roots of the tragedy Cuba faces today lie in the global geopolitical power struggle occurring across the ocean. This situation escalated when US President Donald Trump further tightened oil sanctions against Cuba starting in January 2026. After US military operations to overthrow Nicolás Maduro's government in Venezuela, Cuba's main oil supply was completely cut off. Additionally, threats from the US to other suppliers like Mexico's Pemex have forced Cuba to resort to a strict fuel rationing system. Today, a vehicle can only obtain a small amount of fuel, about 20 liters, even after waiting for months.

The result of these severe sanctions has been massive power outages that plunged the entire country into darkness last March, a halted public transport system, and an incapacitated hospital network. In the middle of the city, where piles of garbage accumulate, people struggle to find alternatives for their daily commutes. This is a stark reminder of the dark "Special Period" Cuba faced in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Just as Fidel Castro distributed Chinese bicycles to provide relief to the people then, the Ciclobús, which was started in the 90s and later forgotten, has today become the main lifeline for the people.

Even in the hot midday sun, the eyes of these people, calmly waiting in queues, sweating profusely, show an unwavering determination to somehow conquer the day. Throughout the fifteen-minute dark tunnel journey, amidst the sound of the vehicle clashing, they hold tightly to the handrails and travel with their bicycles, enduring the uncertainty of their lives. Although there are reports that the Cuban government has initiated some diplomatic talks with the US, the daily suffering of the people in the face of a collapsed economy has not yet been alleviated by any of these efforts.

However, the Ciclobús, which travels back and forth through this dark tunnel daily, is not merely a means of transport; it is a living symbol of the Cuban people's unending hope and resilience, who refuse to bow down even in the face of global powers' restrictions, and who seek light amidst the darkness.