State agency Transportation By Viazul bus From October it resumed its travel program to various destinations in Cuba, But one under the conditions condemned by many Cubans Racism.
As stated in it Web page Of the company, It “works only with international cards, in freely convertible currencies., And will be charged at the prevailing exchange rate on the day of booking “.
However, Despite the fact that Cubans use freely convertible currency cards (M.L.C.) Issued by Cuban banks, and are the only way to make payments at military-run stores, These are not used to pay for age tickets.
In the FAQ section, Viazul states that “all our services are marketed through international electronic cards such as VISA, MasterCard and American Express”.
According to the company, the sale will not be made in cash in any case, as it will be sold to companies and customers “only until payment is made on credit cards (only cards proving their ownership will be accepted) and in cases of refund the bank will request a refund, always for the same card on which it was paid”.
No Cuban living on the island can deposit money in the accounts of foreign banks. Viazul had a complicated process solution: pay the deferred payment and “send the payment request by e-mail, booking will be made as soon as payment confirmation is received.”
This practice of having to resort to someone living abroad, according to Vyasul, also has disadvantages. The company “will not save the reservation in this process and if not available when the payment comes into effect, the funds will be refunded to the paid account.”
Also, the company insists, “Refunds will only be available for paid cards.”
Viazul is a branch of the National Bus Company of Cuba, which usually provides services to tourists and Cubans with sufficient credit to pay their fares. Although some of its routes are not available after the epidemic due to low demand, its locations start in Havana, from Pinar del Rio to Santiago de Cuba.
“If you can not pay by MLC card, why so much advertising,” complained Garcia Rodriguez, a Cuban regiment resident in Camage. Facebook wall Of the company.
Faced with this, Vyasul commented: “Sir, we are a service that targets overseas customers who have access to payment methods. Promotion is open and necessary. We know there has been a high demand for authorization to pay with MLC cards, and trust me, we have demanded it again and again. We will continue to do so. “
In early 2020 the first dollar stores opened Cuban officials have promised that this does not mean the dollarization of the economy.
