The limitation on the sale of tickets through the Viajando application, announced last Sunday, is a response measure to “hoarders and resellers”, according to the company Traveler, which manages reservations. The entity decided to put a maximum of 80 tickets per person per month during this July, which will be reduced to 30 in August, a measure that, according to many users, will have a ridiculous impact, since it is still a very high figure.
“In the last 30 days, 89.06% of users managed less than 10 tickets; 8.43% managed between 10 and 20 capacities; 1.43% between 21 and 30 reservations and more than 31 were reached by 1.08% of total users. This last group includes users who even managed more than 100 capacities in this period of time,” said Freddy Álvarez León, commercial director of Viajero, on Wednesday.
The official explained to the official press the reasons for the measure, made public through the company’s social networks and which generated an avalanche of comments
The official explained to the official press the reasons for the measure, made public throught social media of the company and that generated an avalanche of comments. As Álvarez now updated, it is expected to further reduce the number of places that a single person can acquire, since demand far exceeds supply.
The problems to buy tickets through Viajando are an evidence that grows in each vacation period, as it became clear revealed last June, when users flooded the application to buy a place for this July, and these days have continued, with the opening of reservations for August.
The apps It has 380,000 users, according to the company, who generate peaks of up to 30,000 requests per second for an offer of 7,000 tickets. In addition to the lack of capacity, generated by the lack of buses and fuel, there is the collapse of the data network managed by the Telecommunications Company, which begins to generate errors and prevents customers from completing the purchase.
At 8:30 in the morning it opens automatically, explains Alexander Martínez, commercial director of the Transport Information Services company and, under normal conditions, the process to complete the reservation should take between 20 and 30 seconds, and the system blocks passages for ten minutes. The reality is that technical problems usually prevent it.
“The actual capacity demand per user will be taken into account, without forgetting that there are clients who regularly use this service for work, student or other reasons”
The result is a mixture of indignation against technology and the lack of tickets, all after users have also gotten up early to make this kind of virtual queue. All this uncomfortable system has created the informal figure of the “ticket manager”, which already existed analogically, although through the office employee: people who are dedicated to making a massive purchase on behalf of others from whom they have previously requested their data and in exchange for a juicy commission.
“At one time I was buying that way,” a Havanan tells this newspaper. “I thought that the guy had some contact and it turns out that what he did was buy at Viajando, the same thing that I could do. I paid him, before the ‘ordering’, 10 dollars for a ticket that cost 70 pesos. Now they go out for more than 100”.
With the new measure, the company plans to reduce the possibilities of purchase, which are reduced by 67% in July and 87.5% in August, according to its calculations.
“The actual capacity demand per user will be taken into account, without forgetting that there are customers who regularly use this service for work, student or other reasons, generally on short-distance routes,” adds the company.
Eddy Cárdenas Alfonso, general director of the Automotive Transport Services Business Group, insists that everything is designed so that Cubans can enjoy the service during the vacation period, especially now that interprovincial travel has not recovered from the cut suffered during the pandemic, amounting to two thirds.
“Who needs 80 tickets in the month of July that will be for August? And who wants 30 for September, when reservations go down?” Questions a user of the application
“You can only have [avances] when the financial situation improves and the number of daily outputs in the national programming is then resumed, which before covid-19 exceeded 300 and are currently over one hundred,” he specified.
The official also encouraged citizens to denounce resale practices of which they are aware “because the first reason is the people.” However, many users maintain their complaints, considering that the figure of 30 tickets per person is still excessive.
“Who needs 80 tickets in the month of July that will be for August? And who wants 30 for September, when reservations go down?” Questions a user of the application.
A commenter on Cubadebate I suggested limiting to 10 one-way and 10 return tickets per month the amount, while another hints at what many think: “Simply, being able to manage 30 tickets is still excessive. Do not let people think that someone with decision-making power agrees or benefits from it”.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our newspaper. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
