MONTEGO, St James — Following weeks of chaos at gas stations in Montego Bay as consumers competed for petrol to be used in vehicles and generators, things have largely returned to normal and taxi operators are among those breathing a sigh of relief.

“We had individuals having to line up from 3:00 am. The line long gone way round the corner,” president of the Granville United Pitfour Taxi Association, Lansford Gooden told the Jamaica Observer Wednesday.

“There had to be police and soldier trying to keep the order,” he continued.

Gas was being trucked to Montego Bay and often would not get to the stations before 9:30 am. There were sometimes heated arguments and tense exchanges among those impatiently waiting in line to get their cars and containers filled. Some avoided the melee, relying instead on third parties. That brought its own set of challenges.

“You had some people buying the gas in the five gallon jugs and come back selling it for twice what they paid for it at the time,” Gooden said, explaining that this caused some cabbies to temporarily hike their fares.

“Most gas stations have reopened and are serving gas as normal, and we are not seeing the long lines that was there — especially just after the storm,” he continued.

Within the first few days of the storm long lines snaked along streets adjoining major gas stations. There was a constant traffic jam on Barnett Street where one gas station operated 24 hours each day.

The streets were littered with vehicles that ran out of gas on the way for refills. And the sight of people walking everywhere brought back memories of what Montego Bay was like 20 years ago, before the prevalence of public passenger vehicles. Many people seized the opportunity to make a killing, travelling to Ocho Rios and Kingston to buy gas for resale in areas hard hit by the storm.

On Wednesday a check by the Observer found that most gas stations have reopened and it is business as usual. Among those still shuttered, however, is the Rubis gas station located at MegaMart in Catherine Hall. It was operational for a few days after the storm but with the badly damaged supermarket’s extended closure it comes as no surprise that Rubis may be on pause there as well.

At another Rubis location in the town, one staff member said the mad scramble for gas seen in the days soon after the hurricane has waned.

“We have seen less people, especially those with the jugs, coming to buy gas for their generators,” the staff member told the Jamaica Observer.

“It’s probably because a number of them get back light — or money run out,” she joked.

This Rubis gas station at MegaMart in Catherine Hall, Montego Bay, was open in the days immediately after the hurricane but is now closed.

This Thrifty gas station on Barnett Street in Montego Bay is among those back in business.

The Rubis gas station on Howard Cooke Boulevard in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Melissaa