This Taxi Driver’s Business Secret: Bootleg Venezuelan Gas Image courtesy of J B
![Technically, gas in Venezuela is even cheaper than this. (J B)](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/3779803032_3282308541_b.jpg?w=1024&h=679)
Technically, gas in Venezuela is even cheaper than this. (J B)
Bloomberg Businessweek outlined this scam after meeting the driver. It’s pretty simple: he sails to Venezuela maybe once a week with a whole lot of small containers, then fills them at the national gas price of 1/5 of a U.S. penny per gallon. Yes, that is the actual price.
Venezuela has a few strange accidents of history going for it leading to that gas price: first, they’re a country with vast oil reserves. Second, they have a socialist government that heavily subsidizes their gas production. Third, economic crises have led to inflation that has devalued their currency compared to other countries, making Venezuela a really great place to pick up some cheap gas.
The taxi driver, who already makes decent money since he mostly drives American tourists around, says that he saves around $17,000 a year by making these very illegal trips to Venezuela.
How an Aruba Taxi Driver Saves $17,000 Bootlegging Venezuela Gas [Bloomberg Business]
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