TIJUANA – Public transit operated in Tijuana yesterday, but the shortage of diesel fuel continued to idle truckers. The disruption in supply is expected to last into next week.

DAVID MAUNG Truck driver Mario Castañeda (left) and Gerardo Zapata, his assistant, waited out a shortage of diesel fuel yesterday in Tijuana.

DAVID MAUNG Assistant driver Gerardo Zapata had time to clean the cab of his truck. A ship carrying diesel fuel is expected Monday at the Pemex distribution center in Rosarito Beach.

Dozens of rigs transporting merchandise from other cities have been stuck on the outskirts of Tijuana, some for as long as three days.

Pemex, the national oil monopoly, began sending tanker trucks to Tijuana from Guaymas, Sonora, on Thursday, shift managers at gas stations said. The 12-hour trips are stopgap measures until the region's fuel distribution terminal in Rosarito Beach is resupplied by ship.

A news release from an association of gasoline stations confirmed that the Rosarito Beach plant would begin supplying diesel widely starting Monday.

Diesel started to become scarce Wednesday, when U.S. drivers sought the cheaper fuel.

The tanker trucks that are supplying fuel hold 15,600 gallons and supply a gas station with about 5,200 gallons a day, said Juan José García, shift manager of a Pemex station south of Rosarito.

“That lasts us some four hours, and there isn't enough for everyone,” García said. “Some truckers wait in line for up to six hours and leave with nothing.”

The gas stations, in turn, ration those 5,200 gallons of diesel to their customers, said Rafael Sánchez, shift manager of a station on Insurgentes Boulevard, on the eastern side of the city. “We have lines up to 40 trucks long when we get diesel,” he said.

His gas station will sell only up to 1,000 pesos (about $100) worth of diesel to truck drivers and up to 200 pesos (about $20) worth to drivers of public buses, Sánchez said, adding, “That's only enough for half a workday or less.”

Urban and suburban public transit agencies cut their drivers' shifts from 12 hours to six. The reduction slashed their income because they work on commission.

Overview Background: Diesel fuel has been scarce since Wednesday, affecting city buses and trucking. What's changing: Tanker trucks are bringing some fuel from Guaymas, Sonora, a 12-hour trip. The future: A ship carrying a large supply of diesel should dock Monday at the Pemex distribution center in Rosarito Beach.

María Elena Andrade waited two hours for a Verde y Crema public transit bus to take her from the downtown area to her home in the Presidentes neighborhood, east of Tijuana.

“Normally, the bus comes by every 15 minutes, but yesterday and today (Friday) it took so long,” said Andrade, a 50-year-old homemaker.

She said could not afford to take a cab, which would have cost her about $3.50, while bus fare was about 65 cents.

Brothers Mario and Ramiro Castañeda have been living in their big rigs, which they use to transport marble from their native Torreon to Tijuana.

“We've been here for three days because we can't find any diesel,” said Mario Castañeda, 28. “On Thursday, we waited for 12 hours at a gas station in Tecate but couldn't get any. They told us there was a station here (in east Tijuana), but they would sell us only 50 liters (13 gallons). We need 1,200 liters (about 310 gallons) to get back to Torreon.”

Ramiro Castañeda added: “They told us they're only selling fuel to public buses so the city doesn't come to a stop, and that they'll have fuel for us on Monday. Meanwhile, we'll still be here, living in our rigs.”

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Omar Millán González is a contributor to the Union-Tribune's Latino newspaper, Enlace.