Latin Correspondent | Potential hike in Venezuela gas prices met with exhaustion, indifference
At one of the ubiquitous state-run gas stations in the western city of Mérida, a taxi driver pulled in to fill the tank of his Honda sedan. He bought 42 liters of gasoline (about 11 gallons) and hands over a single bill worth 5 Bolívares Fuertes (BsF), officially worth about 79 U.S. cents and unofficially, on the black market, worth 3 cents. He overpaid. The fill cost him what would be 47 cents officially, and the rest was left as a tip.
Like many Venezuelans, he’s used to paying next to nothing to keep his cab running.