Proposed National Bus Company Creates Tension with Local Operators

The Ministry of Transport has floated the idea of creating a single national bus company, but not everyone’s on board. The Belize Bus Owners Association is pushing back, saying the proposal could sideline the very operators who’ve kept the country moving under tough conditions. Transport Minister Doctor Louis Zabaneh and C.E.O. Chester Williams presented the plan to bus owners earlier this month. But just weeks later, the BBOA issued a public statement calling for fairness in the industry. They say their members have been struggling without access to key financial support and outlined four demands aimed at creating a more level playing field. The association believes that with the right support and policies, Belize’s bus industry can thrive long-term. However, Minister Zabaneh says he’s read the release and claims that many BBOA members don’t actually support the demands being made.

 

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport

“I read their release and the first thing I tried to find out was how many of the bus owners supported the release. After making some calls a number of the larger bus owners are not supporting the release, inf act they are willing to continue with the process we have laid out to revenue the proposal we have made. For those who did support the release, which is a minority we anticipated their would be some concerns. That is natural with something as transformational for them. We have a meeting scheduled for next Friday, the second meeting as we agreed to start to look at some of the details going forward. From what they proposed it is a plan that will still not resolve most of the issues we have. The reason being that the industry cannot attain economies of scale with thirty-one operators along our highway. That is a large number of operators in a very small country, relatively speaking.”