A 17-second video shot on Calzada de Boyeros in Havana has captivated social media this week, featuring a tractor towing a trailer with one of its rear wheels missing a tire, while a worker stands on the back of the vehicle.
The creator of the video encapsulated the bizarre scene with a phrase that quickly became the most shared comment: "Everything about this tractor is surreal. The man stands at the back, near where the wheel is missing, despite there being other spaces. Incredible. Who doubts that Cubans suffer from anthropological damage?"
Several viewers identified the vehicle as property of the state-owned company Comunales de Boyeros, noting it was traveling through the María del Carmen neighborhood, also known as Río Cristal, heading towards Fontanar.
Public Reactions: Humor and Concern
The public reactions ranged from humor to outrage and resignation.
Some users sarcastically labeled it as "an achievement of the Revolution" or "a symbol of socialism," while others highlighted the obvious hazard it poses to traffic: "This is how accidents happen, and it destroys the avenue," one user commented.
An individual experienced in operating such vehicles explained the rationale behind the maneuver: "This is done when there are no spare parts available, and since there never are, I'm not surprised. I had to perform similar maneuvers when driving mine."
Another pointed out a contradiction many recognized: "A private vehicle immediately gets twenty patrols and 400 fines for the driver," while state vehicles operate under such conditions without consequences.
A Broader Issue of Infrastructure Decay
One observer warned that the danger extended beyond the missing wheel: "That front tire with the bulge is a hazard," referring to another visibly deformed tire on the vehicle.
This scene is not an isolated incident. In Havana, more buses were out of service in 2025—309—than operational—252—according to the Cuban government's own data, which described the public transportation situation as a "true debacle" due to a lack of fuel and parts.
Boyeros, the municipality where this incident occurred, was also the site of another instance of extreme scarcity in June this year: a senior citizen dining facility cooking with an improvised stove made of an old tire and wood due to a gas shortage.
The agricultural machinery crisis follows the same downward spiral: tires, engines, and brakes must be purchased with foreign currency, which state enterprises lack. Belarus promised to deliver 50 new tractors to the Cuban regime by June 2025, a number deemed insufficient given the extent of the deterioration.
One user summed it up with bitter irony in the video's comments: "Nothing stops us... so many achievements."
Understanding the Challenges Facing Cuban Transportation
What is the significance of the tractor video in Havana?
The video highlights the severe infrastructure issues in Cuba, showcasing a state vehicle operating in unsafe conditions due to a lack of available resources and spare parts.
How did the public react to the tractor video?
Public reactions varied from sarcastic humor to genuine concern, emphasizing the broader systemic issues within Cuban infrastructure and governance.
What does the tractor incident reveal about Cuba's transportation system?
The incident underscores the critical challenges in Cuba's transportation system, largely due to economic constraints that prevent proper maintenance and upgrades of vehicles and infrastructure.