Transportation in Las Tunas is entering a new phase with the arrival of 10 Dongfeng electric vehicles, exclusively dedicated to strengthening mobility services for hemodialysis patients.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Serguey Tamayo Rodríguez, director of the Las Tunas Taxi Agency, explained to 26 the details of this project, which aims to alleviate the Cuban energy crisis.

"These cars were acquired through the Ministry of Transportation's Development Fund. The negotiation was with the Dongfeng company. They will provide transportation services for hemodialysis patients. Furthermore, they will also operate routes during permitted hours.”

"The vehicles will operate according to a strict schedule. They must cover the first and second shifts."
In the provincial capital, due to the current situation in the ward caused by the absence of some kidneys due to ruptures, they will operate a second shift, since the first begins in the early morning and they will not be working during those hours.

"They will take advantage of the daytime, because they must park around 4:00 p.m., and at night they cannot circulate on any of the city's main streets. They will not operate either in areas with difficult access, although coordination has been established with the Health Department to attend to specific cases," the director stated.

The electric taxis will not be used for general transportation, but rather will have a healthcare focus. "We have reviewed with the Health Department the patients who are located further away, in areas where the terrain allows, and that is where we will provide the service, precisely to alleviate the fuel shortage," the director said.

In the provincial capital, the vehicles will cover routes 1 and 7, without deviating from their route, except for exceptions such as hospital discharges or transfers of pregnant women.

These services will also reach the municipalities of Puerto Padre and Jesús Menéndez. "Today we're averaging four patients per taxi there. Precisely because of the 430-kilometer range of these vehicles, it's possible to travel to those areas," he explained.

The project's sustainability depends largely on a reliable power supply. "Initially, they'll connect to the national grid. They consume 7 kilowatts, but a solar energy project (Solera) is already underway, which will cover the energy needs of the 10 vehicles currently in service and the other 10 that might arrive later. This is stipulated in the same contract with Dongfeng.”

"In Holguín province, there's an enterprise (MSME) authorized to carry out the project, and we already have a contract with them. Furthermore, we have identified a location that meets the requirements so that, in the shortest possible time, they can become independent of the national grid and begin using solar-generated energy.”

Yoelis Corría Fajardo, a hemodialysis driver, will be one of those in charge of operating these vehicles. “It’s a new opportunity for us, and we know how to work with these patients.”

“We want them to feel like family with us and provide them with the best service, because that’s their health. With these resources, we plan to improve that care, because many times the cars we had didn’t have air conditioning, were broken down, or malfunctioned. Now they are new vehicles.”

For his part, Frank Alberto Fuentes Figueroa, an ecotaxi driver, assured that he already has experience serving these patients.

“We work with heart so that they feel satisfied. To date, there hasn’t been a single complaint, never in the history of the agency, because we know that they are vulnerable people going through a difficult time in their lives.” Regarding his personal motivation, he confessed: "Besides being a professional, I believe that since childhood my gift has been driving, and I enjoy it; I like the task, I like treating the public well. It's a new, more comfortable mode of transportation, where we will carry out an activity that touches souls, that touches hearts."

Tamayo Rodríguez concluded that the measure will allow for significant fuel savings, freeing up resources for other services.