For transit driver Juan Martín Acosta and his family, the fuel shortage in Michoacán has meant living in his minibus.

The family has been sleeping in the vehicle since Monday to keep their place in a long lineup at a gas station in the northern part of Morelia, the state capital.

Acosta, who depends on driving as his only source of income, is one of hundreds of public transportation workers that have been affected by gas shortages in the city.

José Trinidad Martínez Pasalagua, president of the Transportation Regulation Commission, said yesterday that 40% of the 6,000 public transportation vehicles in Morelia have had to stop running and warned that if the shortage continues the transportation system would collapse by the end of the week.

Acosta told El Universal that his troubles began on Sunday when he was forced to abandon his route because he was running out of gas. He drove around looking for a place to fill up only to find shuttered gas stations or long lineups.

Now he hasn’t enough gas to drive even a couple of blocks.

“I ran out of gas from driving around in circles and now my only option is to park here [at the gas station] and wait for the tanker trucks to arrive,” said the minibus driver.

He plans to wait in line as long as it takes — along with his wife and daughter — to get a tank of gas so he can go back to work.

Source: El Universal (sp)