New Transport Minister Proposes Single National Bus Company

Today, bus operators from across the country met with the Ministry of Transport for the first time since its leadership change. The gathering introduced operators to the newly appointed Minister of Transport, Doctor Louis Zabaneh, and the chief executive officer. The meeting provided a platform for operators to express their concerns and share suggestions on modernizing the industry. Doctor Zabaneh proposed the idea of a single national bus company, which bus owners seemed open to discussing. However, bringing this concept to life will require extensive discussions, negotiations, and possibly some disagreements.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

The Ministry of Transport held its first meeting with bus operators since the appointment of Dr. Louis Zabaneh as Minister of Transport and Chester Williams as Chief Executive Officer. The meeting, held in Belmopan, focused on the top priority of modernizing the bus sector. Bus operators from across the country gathered to discuss their concerns and share ideas on how to improve and update the industry. The new leadership is keen on working collaboratively to bring about positive changes.

 

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport

“I think what we discussed here is learning from the past forty years if you will, where you will recall in early 2000s there was a consolidation of the industry, ending up with one company, Novelo. But what happened there is that there was no legislation to protect the company. A subsequent administration issued permits that brought competition, and it eroded the economies of scale behind that concept. We learnt from that, it is 2025, not 2000 and we still have an industry with buses breaking down, poor services, low reliability the nine yard that we know about the sector and that should not be.”

 

 

Minister of Transport Dr. Louis Zabaneh and his team have proposed a public-private partnership to establish a single national bus company. This new company would allow bus operators to maintain their ownership while working together to modernize and improve the sector. The proposal aims to streamline operations and enhance the quality of bus services across the country. Bus operators are open to discussing this innovative idea, which could bring significant changes to the transportation industry.

 

 

 

Dr. Louis Zabaneh

“So if we have all the bus operators come together, we will include the terminals. We have a valuation of the entire sector, fairly using an independent auditor, fairly determining their value across the sector. We have the portion that they will take that value as shares in the company or a portion of the company or get paid out completely. That will be their decision. We have a company that is national now. One company can hire a highly qualified administrative team supervised by a board, that we are able take care of many of the issues in that regard. The company gets concessions from the government, can buy in bulk. A company gets its tires, fuel, all it inputs that cause a high cost industry to be barely making it, so they cannot reinvest in their equipment right now.”

 

President of the Belize Bus Association, Thomas Shaw says he supports the proposal and that his members will have to come to a decision on the matter.

 

Thomas Shaw, President, BBA

“It is just in the preliminary phase where this is our first consultation. It sounds good. I support the initiative. By forming a company I think it will eliminate most of the hurdles we are facing throughout the years. Just as I have said, as time progresses, whatever is being discussed has to be legislated to give operators that assurance that their investment will not go unaccounted for, due to the fact, from government to government, they keep changing the goal post and reinventing everything. The understanding I got, he will visit each individual, individually, then they will have this company set up. They are going to go into your establishment to see the value of your company. If you want, they value your company at two hundred thousand dollars, you don’t have to get out of the business if you want. They pay you off, of which I think it is not a bad thing. It is to know if that will materialize because funds is very tight at this point in time.”

 

As discussions on the proposed national bus company are just beginning, there’s a clear acknowledgment that commuters expect top-notch service right away. Shaw highlighted that ninety percent of sectors have upgraded their buses in recent years. However, C.E.O Chester Williams pointed out that fifty percent of the industry’s buses still operate below the standards set in their permits. Williams has committed to stronger enforcement to ensure all buses meet the required standards, aiming to provide commuters with the best possible service.

 

Chester Williams, C.E.O. Ministry of Transport

“We met this week with the transport board and the deputy chief was going through the conditions outlined on the road service permit. As minister said, if you were to apply the law the way it should, by the time you get to number six, half the busses would not be approved for renewal, but they are being renewed. So, I have asked the Chief Transport Officer that we need to do more in terms of enforcement. Spot checks is one thing we must do. After having the road service permit, the question is who do follow ups to ensure the conditions on those permits are being adhered to. The answer is little do nothing is being done. That needs to change. Commuters are paying for an experience and these people have the ability to provide that service. We must ensure it is done in the most professional and humane way possible. To see buses on the highway that are dirty, buses where you see the street from the flooring the bus, where if it rains, passengers get wet, it cannot continue.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.