Even in oil-producing Venezuela, a fuel line can bring daily life to a halt. Shortages worsened again outside the largest cities in 2023, with queues stretching for kilometres in some regions. A Reuters image caption from Maracaibo recorded drivers lining up for eight to twelve hours and a vehicle queue more than two kilometres long.
To divide limited supply, some regions assigned refuelling days according to the final digit of a vehicle's license plate. Joining the line on the correct day still did not guarantee that fuel would remain. Drivers arrived early or waited overnight, and the vehicle itself became a place marker.
The queue rationed more than gasoline: it rationed the ability to move. Each car advancing toward the pump released one more journey—to work, school or a family errand.