Despite the limitations of resources, accentuated by the economic, financial and commercial blockade of the United States against Cuba, the Base Business Unit (UEB) Transmetro Morón, in the province of Ciego de Ávila, ensures the daily transfer of the workers of the Jardines del Rey tourist destination.

Alexander Tamayo Velázquez, head of Operations of that entity, denounced that the hostile policy of the US government makes it difficult to acquire parts and spare pieces to maintain the proper functioning of the vehicle fleet, for which the technical readiness coefficient is 52 percent.

Of the 139 buses, only 75 provide services, fundamentally due to the shortage of tires, batteries and spare parts, which implies an overexploitation of the equipment in operation to guarantee the daily transfer of almost 100 work shifts to hotel facilities and non-hotel, he explained.

A superior effort by the drivers, who sometimes transfer a group and return to move the next, the latter operation that generates inefficiency for the company due to the movement of up to 16 empty buses, with a fuel expense estimated at more than 700 liters per day, he said.

Tamayo Velázquez specified that in the current circumstances, resource allocations are restricted, therefore, more than 50 buses remain paralyzed and others are proposed for removal due to their exploitation regime, high level of corrosion and wear.

"The lack of financing prevents the nation from making investments to acquire the new buses designed for the movement of personnel from the tourism sector to Cayo Paredón, where new facilities provide services."

He emphasized that the operations of the leisure industry there are not supported by Transmetro, since the hiring could not be carried out, because the investments in that place had to go hand in hand with obtaining new cars to cover a route of more than 180 kilometers, but the purchase was not possible.

Although the UEB complies with the maintenance and technical inspections are carried out with the required regularity and rigor, the conditions of deterioration constitute causes and favorable conditions for the occurrence of accidents, however, the precautions have prevented human and material damage, he alleged.

In such circumstances, innovation activity is promoted to alleviate the deficit of parts and pieces, and maintain a technical state in the vehicles that provides security in the transfers, he added.

The Head of Operations stressed that through the entity's mechanics and contracts with self-employed workers it is possible to repair stabilizer bar bushings, replace belts and adapt the bearings of the ventilation systems, water turbines and brake devices.

He highlighted the response of his group to the confrontation with COVID-19: they have assumed the transportation of medical personnel from Morón to Ciego de Ávila, with two buses for going and returning.

In addition, they provide services to the Sol Cayo Coco hotel-hospital and transfer suspicious tourists to carry out confirmatory tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the cause of the aforementioned pandemic.

He affirmed that, in the current epidemiological situation, the necessary resources are provided to comply with the cleaning and disinfection protocols at the end of each service, in addition to ensuring the sanitization of the hands and feet of travelers when boarding the buses.

Armando Jiménez Delgado, head of the Quality and Customer Service Department at the Grand Muthu Rainbow hotel, signified the improvement of the transportation service; however, he reiterated the frequent delays in pick-ups because of the insufficient number of buses.

Meanwhile, Aileen Pérez Verde, public relations officer at the Pullman Cayo Coco hotel, alluded that she is aware of the situation with the Transmetro buses and recognized the effort to guarantee the transportation of a considerable number of workers, always ensuring punctuality.