Some truck and bus drivers as well as drivers of other vehicles that rely on diesel scrambled to find fuel on Monday as several service stations on New Providence refused to sell diesel.
It came as the Bahamas Petroleum Retailers Association (BPRA) escalated its approach with government after lobbying unsuccessfully so far for an increase in the fixed margin on fuel sales.
If all station operators get on board, that would be bad news for drivers like Leon Carey, 54, a truck driver and father of four who spoke with The Nassau Guardian as he arrived at a Shell service station on Prince Charles Drive, the second station he was visiting in search of fuel.
"I have to find diesel. If I can't find [any] diesel, I will have to shut down," Carey said.
"I stopped by that Rubis gas station by A. F. Adderley School. They tell me they didn't have any diesel. I say, well, on my way coming out east, I'll stop here and come to find out that this [is] the same thing happening. So, now, I gotta hustle down the road to Esso and hope I could get one couple of gallons from them before the day is out.
"I know I have to go on the Eastern Road and from the Eastern Road, I was supposed to go into Coral Harbour. There's no way I could go into Coral Harbour and get back up town without running out of fuel. So, basically, what I'm doing right now, if I can't find no diesel, this would be my last run.
"That [would] mean all my revenue stops for the day. I can't service the customers, you know? It's a problem; that's the issue."
Carey said beyond the impact on him, and his ability to support his family, is the reliance members of the public have on the transportation of everyday goods.
"Well, I tell you what, without [any] diesel in the town, [it] is going to be a problem all around," he said. "I don't know what kind of supplies you get.
"All your retailers who do delivery, most of the trucks around here run on diesel fuel, and if they can't come to some sort of understanding to get fuel in the ground at these local stations, it ain't going to just be me with the problem. It could be everybody with their breadbasket items can't find the goods getting to their store because eventually it's going to trickle down to them."
Another truck driver, Craig Moss, said searching for fuel was "confusing".
"I drove to four in total and couldn't find any fuel," Moss said. "I'm very concerned, but, hopefully, they will get it sorted out soon."
BPRA President Raymond Jones said yesterday retailers continue to struggle to earn a living.
Jones said selling diesel is very cost prohibitive. He said retailers are purchasing diesel at a higher price than gasoline, but making less money on diesel given that the margin for diesel is 34 cents per gallon, compared to 54 cents for gasoline, which is also extremely challenging for retailers to survive on.
Besides the trucking industry, New Providence's buses also rely heavily on diesel.
Thousands of residents, including schoolchildren, depend on the buses to move around the island.
Lionel Dormeus, a father of an eight-year-old girl, has been driving for 14 years and can't ever remember a time that the sale of diesel was stopped.
Dormeus, 39, said his daughter and passengers are relying on him.
"She's relying on me to provide," he said. "This is my living right here. This is all I do. If there's no diesel tomorrow, I can't work tomorrow at all. My tank is on E now. I need to go try find diesel."
A station operator, who spoke to The Nassau Guardian on condition of anonymity, said he hopes that fuel stations that weren't fully on board yesterday will quickly fall in line.
Jones, meanwhile, said the retailers are open to continue to speak with the government, but he said it is really time for the government to act on this matter.
Minister of State for Economic Affairs Michael Halkitis had no comment yesterday when asked about the action being taken by the service station operators.
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