Last night we told you about the proposed increase in bus fares for the Western corridor. But turns out it wasn’t any official increase, West line and BBOC bus lines took it upon themselves to implement the hike in prices without informing the public or consulting with the Transport Department. It was a bold move by these bus operators to turn the government’s attention to the struggles they face but it’s also one that enraged the public. Several commuters reached out to us saying that for the past 2 days the express buses from Belize City to Belmopan has gone from $5 to $7 and they are simply not having it. And so to address all these issues the Minister of Transport Edmond Castro met with several bus companies today at his NEMO office in Belmopan. We start off with a comment from the owner of the Shaw’s Bus Company, Thomas Shaw. He told us although he agrees with the increase, he does not support the way the other companies approached the issue. We also asked him if the bus companies were considering the commuters who would be paying more for a sub-par service.
Thomas Shaw - President, BZ Bus Association, Shaws
"The main purpose of this meeting is basically it was a hike in bus fares that actually took place about 2 days ago of which the department didn't really approve but it was something that was in the pipeline for quite a while and the operators felt well they should make a move."
Courtney Weatherburne
"So you guys have raised the prices already or only for the west corridor?"
Thomas Shaw - President, BZ Bus Association, Shaws
"Well it's just certain operators, it's just certain operators"
Courtney Weatherburne
"Such as?"
Thomas Shaw - President, BZ Bus Association, Shaws
"Certain operators such as the West line and the BBOC and they had posted signs and stuff inside the buses."
"I do support the raise because it's something that we need; it's been there for a long time."
Courtney Weatherburne
"I have to see it from the commuters’ perspectives as well. Many commuters are upset, they are very upset and they will and I could say they have reason to be upset because of one the service and we were just talking; my colleagues and I were just talking about the list of things that are wrong with the bus service."
Thomas Shaw - President, BZ Bus Association, Shaws
"Based on what you mentioned a while ago I'm aware that the riding public they have all rights as well the bus operators because basically what we're looking at ... the operators, each operator that you see out there they operate but there is no incentive at the end of the day from GOB and the operators have been observing this for quite a while. As I said to just hike the fares like that without notifying the public for me I think it was wrong."
And after the meeting that ended after 1 this afternoon, we spoke to Minister Castro who also reiterated that it was a wrong move by these bus companies to just raise the bus fares without consultation. Castro explained that the first step to address this issue is to regulate or adjust the rates of payment per mile. He also agreed that the commuters deserve better service.
Hon. Edmond Castro - Minister of Transport
"It was illegal for them to put together new price list and change the prices on the commuters; we discussed that. We also discussed their proposal, the July 14th proposal of price hike and we came to a good agreement but basically on an average we are trying to keep some of the bus fare within the 12 to 14 cents per mile. Some of them were down and some were way out of wack; some were at 10, 9, some were at 20 odd cents per mile so we're trying to bring it to a situation whereby it's between 12 and 14 cents per mile."
"I spoke to the owner of West line and he shared with me before this meeting that last year his fuel price per month was in the range of 85 thousand dollars to run those buses. Last month - I think it was last month and he has seen or over the months he has seen an increase of about 15%. And so at the same fare it's impossible for them to continue the maintenance and to keep good buses on the highway. We have to try and see how we can balance the thing."
"We do believe that we need to uphold the standards, we need to make sure that the commuters who actually are paying their fair are riding a bus whe no wa broke down pan the road, a bus whe no di over heat and a bus whe comfortable. The standees situation and all the bus owners and bus owners know that most of them are breaking light as it relates to the standees on these buses so we are trying to address all those situations on that regard as well."
Courtney Weatherburne
"This has been happening for years, commuters have been calling for better service for many years and nothing has been done."
Hon. Edmond Castro - Minister of Transport
"It has not been a SI change since 1992 so I think what we are doing here we should be able to help and hopefully improve their services to the commuters who are actually paying them."
Minister Castro said he will be taking today’s proposal to Cabinet on Tuesday. To reiterate this position a release was sent today stating "It has been agreed that all bus fares will revert to the rates that existed prior to such arbitrary increases. The Ministry of Transport and the bus operators have discussed and agreed in principle on proposed rate adjustments, which will be considered by the Belize Transport Board and must first be approved by Cabinet and authorized via a Statutory Instrument before they can be implemented." So for all you commuters, make sure you pay the regular bus fares, no increase has been approved. The new rates will be published on October first.
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