One Week In: E-Taxis Hit the Streets, But Not Everyone’s Onboard

E-taxis have officially hit the streets of Belize City, but not everyone is celebrating. Local cab drivers are voicing strong concerns, worried that this new, eco-friendly service could drive them out of business. If this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen it before; just last year, the launch of e-buses sparked similar backlash from traditional bus operators. Now, with only a handful of e-taxis in operation, tensions are already rising. So how are cab drivers coping with the change? News Five’s Britney Gordon hit the streets to find out. Here’s her report.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

It’s been one week since Belize City rolled out its new e-Ride service, marking another step forward in clean, modern transportation. After the debut of e-buses in 2024, many Belizeans were eager to see what would come next—and now, electric taxis are here. But just like the e-buses, the new e-taxis are stirring up controversy. Local cab drivers say the service threatens their livelihoods, fearing that the sleek, eco-friendly rides could soon replace traditional taxis.

 

Albert Robinson, Belize City Taxi Driver

“Any plus affects the business any plus when it comes to being in business. Anything that comes. Competition is good, but to a certain extent, you have to be careful as to how much you overflow or you flood the situation, right? Because it creates a problem sometimes it even get personal with people. It become violent. I have seen hotel since I started to operate, that people have gone to the extreme of fighting over client and wounding one another.”

 

Albert Robinson, a local taxi driver, told us that a ride in a regular cab costs around ten dollars, though the price can vary depending on how far you’re going. To compare, we tried booking an e-taxi through the MiDriva app—but it was down. So instead, we called e-taxi driver Abigail Westby directly. She’s currently offering a promotional rate, and our ride came to just eight dollars. Westby shared that business started off slowly, but things have picked up so much that she’s now turning down ride requests. It’s a sign that e-taxis may be gaining traction, even as traditional drivers worry about the competition.

 

Abigail Westby, E-Ride Taxi Driver

“ They love it. They love it. I’ve been getting a lot of tens out of tens. People are sharing and posting their thoughts and I’ve seen it on my WhatsApp, so it’s been good. “

 

The Belize City Council rolled out four electric taxis as part of its push for greener transportation—but right now, only two drivers are on the road. One of them, Abigail Westby, says demand is growing fast. When she’s fully booked, she sometimes refers customers to her mother, who drives a traditional taxi. It’s a unique family dynamic in a time of change. We asked Westby whether she thinks the e-taxi service poses a threat to drivers like her mother. Her response reflects the tension many in the industry are feeling as the city shifts toward cleaner, tech-driven transport.

 

Abigail Westby

“It will be balanced because it is still going to price within the range. I believe that people are mis misunderstanding the promotion that I am doing this week. This week alone. The price, they’re saying that we’re charging eight for the runs, but it’s. It’s actually a promotion. It’s not going to be the set cost. It will start at a base price of as low as seven dollars. But as time goes and as your distance change, the prices will change in the app.”

 

E-taxis may be the future of transportation in Belize City, but for many local drivers, owning one remains out of reach. Right now, e-taxi drivers pay a daily fee of sixty-five dollars to use electric vehicles. If they meet that fee, they can stay on the road. But the veteran cab driver says the original pitch to local drivers was very different. He recalls being told they could buy an e-taxi for between sixty and seventy thousand dollars, a price he says is simply unaffordable for the average taxi operator.

 

Albert Robinson

“ We were taken into a meeting at the city hall where we were introduced and these taxes were mentioned to us. We were given preference and if we wanted to drive one of these taxi to own, but when they gave us the price of one of those vehicles, we told them at all age, especially me right now, I am seventy-six years old. No shame in my game because I’m gift, I’m still operating. I still take care of myself as much as I could, but it’s the only way out. People like us at certain age are not employable. They don’t employ us. Right, because of our age. So we find our own industry and we try to make a living the best way we could.”

 

For many taxi drivers in Belize City, making ends meet is becoming harder by the day. Between the rising cost of fuel, constant vehicle maintenance, taxes, and other fees, several drivers say they’re barely scraping by. One frustrated taxi-man didn’t hold back, saying the government should focus on developing new industries instead of crowding already saturated ones like the taxi sector. With competition growing and expenses piling up, many drivers feel they’re being left behind in the push for progress.

 

Voice of: Belize City Taxi Driver

“ The government di take away job from the local people and then the e-taxi business di benefit the government and not the people. You need to look fi jobs to create for your people and do not take away job from them. The same thing with the e-buses because then the target, the whole taxi and bus system. And another five years from now, Belizeans a see the effect of it.”

 

While only a few electric taxis are currently operating in Belize City, traditional cab drivers are already worried about what the future holds. Could their way of life be on the road to extinction? Not so fast, says e-taxi driver Abigail Westby. She believes there will always be a place for cab drivers in the city’s transportation landscape.

 

Abigail Westby

“Not in the near future. Things take time to adjust and upgrade. If they want to upgrade the country or the city with electric vehicles, it won’t change right away. So it will have some time, If it’s the plan that. We want to be, become  a fully electric vehicle, country or as city, then it won’t happen right away.”

Veteran cab driver Mr. Robinson says he’s not against progress—but he believes development shouldn’t come at the cost of people’s livelihoods. With e-taxis entering the scene, he’s urging the government to find a way forward that supports innovation without sidelining those who depend on traditional jobs to survive. Britney Gordon for News Five.