Gasoline Shortage

Whats next: Authorities are going after petroleum thieves; will electricity thieves be next?

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/electricity-thieves/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Today&utm_campaign=20729aef97-MNT+jan18-2019&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-20729aef97-349532749

Went out at 7:20 to join the line at the Riberas Pemex gas station. And just got home at 8:37. I live two blocks away from it. The line was long but very orderly and organized. Limit is 500 pesos but the attendant was so busy counting his money that I got 600 pesos. Lucky me! I'm full and know from past experience that this will last me about six weeks. Breathing easier now.

Which line did you get into?

There is only ONE line. It starts on the street next to the lake about half a block west... goes east and up the entire street next to the Pemex. That one line is directed, just before the pumps, into whatever pump is available.
FYI, I went south towards the lake beside Mom's Restaurant and turned going east onto the street next to the lake and joined the line. It's easy to spot the red tail lights of the cars in the line.
And they still had Magna.

Big explosion outside of Hidalgo, Pemex pipeline, dozens of huachicoleros killed and injured. Scary video, looks like a war zone.

https://regeneracion.mx/tragedia-en-hidalgo-explota-toma-clandestina-de-combustible-video/

They wont arrest these people and when asked to leave they would not. I bet the injured wish they were in jail, maybe they can't get to the hospital if the ambulances have no gas. Karma payback.

ferret wrote:There is only ONE line. It starts on the street next to the lake about half a block west... goes east and up the entire street next to the Pemex. That one line is directed, just before the pumps, into whatever pump is available.
FYI, I went south towards the lake beside Mom's Restaurant and turned going east onto the street next to the lake and joined the line. It's easy to spot the red tail lights of the cars in the line.
And they still had Magna.

This is a stupid question but do you let your engine idle while in line or cut it off and restart as the line moves? Both ways seem like it would waste gas.

The rule of thumb used to be 30 seconds.
If you think you are not going to move in 30 seconds, kill the engine.

Most people (and me) were cutting our engines and starting up again as the line moved. Sometimes the line moved two cars at a time and sometimes four. The car in front of me stalled and left a space which someone tried to cut into. Needless to say, there was some honking. Then, as the station came into view, I could see people pulling off the highway and trying to cut the line. That didn't work either as the police stepped right up to block their access.
Nice and orderly.

I would never try to cut a line, especially in this situation. That's inviting "Road rage," and in Mexico, I don't think anyone would look twice, especially if it's a Gringo.

IMO

I got gas last evening at the station east of Piedra Barrenda. You could get as much gas as you wanted-including containers. It took about an hour. They have 3 pumping stations so service should be fast. The station was short of workers and many clients pay with plastic so those two things really slowed service down. I asked the server why they didn't have more employees working. He said they don't get any warning of when they are getting a delivery of gas so it isn't easy to get employees out to work.

cypress wrote:I got gas last evening at the station east of Piedra Barrenda. You could get as much gas as you wanted-including containers. It took about an hour. They have 3 pumping stations so service should be fast. The station was short of workers and many clients pay with plastic so those two things really slowed service down. I asked the server why they didn't have more employees working. He said they don't get any warning of when they are getting a delivery of gas so it isn't easy to get employees out to work.

Is that the one near Arileo restaurant?

cypress wrote: I asked the server why they didn't have more employees working. He said they don't get any warning of when they are getting a delivery of gas so it isn't easy to get employees out to work.

That's what I was told too. The tankers show up and if there is no one at the station to receive the gas they wait 15 minutes and move on to the next delivery.

DaveP wrote:

cypress wrote:I got gas last evening at the station east of Piedra Barrenda. You could get as much gas as you wanted-including containers. It took about an hour. They have 3 pumping stations so service should be fast. The station was short of workers and many clients pay with plastic so those two things really slowed service down. I asked the server why they didn't have more employees working. He said they don't get any warning of when they are getting a delivery of gas so it isn't easy to get employees out to work.

Is that the one near Arileo restaurant?

Yes. How can they be so disorganized?

I would think that it's a matter of security not disorganization.

CanuckBob wrote:There is currently gas in Ajijic.

Seems the President is spending millions of pesos for rental trucks, drivers, guards, etc. to "save" billions of pesos. Sounds good however, as was pointed out earlier, how long can this go on? Also, once the pipes are opened, what's to say the bad-guys won't be back at work the next day?

Of course, cracking down on the execs in Pemex that are complicate and sleeping with the cartels, and stopping the stations that are selling the stolen gas will, IMO, in the long-run. help. Add to this a "Shoot to kill" mentality on the side of the government, it should work. The operative term is, "long-run." Now "we" just have to put up with the inconveniences, for the long-term, "greater good" for Mexico.

ferret wrote:I would think that it's a matter of security not disorganization.

Definitely disorganized. No one in charge coordinating things.
No gas in SJC this morning.

No gasoline on the libramiento or at the Ajijic Pemex now, 11:05 A.M.  Saturday

Took the bus this morning, no problem with the schedules they seem to be running normally. I asked the driver if he was having problems getting diesel and he said no but laughed and said his only problem is finding gas stations open to buy the diesel. Said he ended up getting it in Tonala this morning.

Somebody posted on Facebook that 15 minutes ago the Ajijic Pemex had gas.

I sure hope so.

I received this from a friend today. Very long and I really, really hope that it's fake but I'm also afraid that it isn't.

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/drug-war-mexico-gas-oil-cartel-717563/

Thanks Carry Bean for posting.  I read it and quickly changed into street clothes and flew out the door.  It was quick.  They filled the tank.  The whole trip took 45 minutes from my house and back.