Posted: Thursday, October 9, 2025. 10:11 pm CST.
By Freelance Court Reporter, Anita Y. Nembhard: To whom ever will listen and do what’s necessary to preserve life and humanity in my country!
If preserving life and humanity calls for a collective effort to safeguard the dignity and survival of human beings and the planet — encompassing actions like upholding human rights, practicing sustainable living to protect the environment for future generations, advancing scientific knowledge for longer and healthier lives, and fostering kindness, compassion, and justice to uphold human dignity — then why is this only spoken about and rarely seen?
I will start by publicly expressing my unfortunate experience riding the public bus.
This evening, I caught the 6:00 o’clock bus from the Belize City Terminal, formerly known as “Novelo’s,” which was en route to Benque. Around 5:55 p.m., I literally ran to catch it, knowing well that the next one might not come until 7:30. Each day my daughter and I ride the bus to and from our home, and tonight’s ride was no different — except that, as usual, there was drama unfolding on the public buses.
Speeding seems to have become the norm. Most passengers are too exhausted to speak out or make known how reckless, irresponsible, and arrogant some drivers are with so many lives in their hands. People choose to say nothing for fear of being further victimized.
But my ride tonight was scary — devastating and very frightening. I felt so uneasy. I could not keep my composure the way I should have. I shifted a lot in my seat. His driving made it impossible for me to stay calm. I kept my eyes glued to the road, trying my best to monitor the driver and the many traffic violations he was committing. I sat there in fright, fear bubbling up to the cracks of my lips. It almost made me explode.
At one point, I thought we were going to have a head-on collision. I said to myself, while trying to hide my fears, that the majority of these bus drivers are not responsible enough to be driving. So I asked myself: how are they still on the road with so many red flags showing?
Why do we continue to turn a blind eye?
Every day, they drive a busload of commuters as if they’re on a suicide mission. Our driver was no different tonight. And after, when tragedy strikes, 99% of the time, the drivers survive — leaving loved ones behind to mourn the relatives they just laughed with that morning before they left home.
You are never prepared to accept that your last smile or goodbye in the morning might truly be your last. So, you pray for God’s intervention daily. Tonight, I prayed in silence, and I knew He heard me, because my entire life flashed before my eyes as the driver maneuvered that bus.
The bus was swerving from one side of the road to the next. He barely slowed down and kept overtaking on curves, seldom waiting for clearance before making a move. The eeriest feeling set in when I realized he wasn’t going to slow down for the entire ride home.
I could picture myself dead before dying. I saw myself in a morgue. And again, for loved ones — they cannot even recognize you, because of irresponsible, reckless drivers like ours tonight who leave you so banged up that the pain is even greater for those who must identify your body lying in a morgue.
That’s how terrifying my experience was tonight. But I am very grateful to have made it home in one piece — and not in pieces.
Our drive from the city to home took only ten minutes, a journey that usually takes twenty. That’s how fast the driver went to reach the Hattieville roundabout from Belize City.
I made an oral report to a police mobile that passed me as I was walking home. I told them about my experience and the driver’s recklessness — that he was driving so fast he passed my stop.
When I exited the bus, I made sure to express to him how disappointed I was with his driving — that he was reckless and irresponsible.
You know what he said to me? “Then next time don’t ride my bus.”
Unbelievable, right? He actually said those words to me. But I wasn’t shocked. After twenty years of riding the buses, the most shocking and unexpected experiences still happen to you.
Many people say, “What else do you expect? It’s a public bus.” But I refuse to accept that as the norm. I refuse to accept such behavior.
The driver was an elderly man — older than I am — and I was raised to respect my elders. That’s why I never shouted or raised my voice at him or his conductor, even though I expressed my discontent.
When will we, the people of this country, get a better transport service? One that will address the many issues we face, and one that will not allow citizens to be further victimized daily?
Our basic rights to safety and security on the buses are being stripped away. We are being robbed of our basic human dignity.
I have been calling a particular individual in the Belize Transport Department for a while now, but my calls have fallen on deaf ears. I’ve been ignored. None of my calls have been answered — not even a text back to say, “Sorry, I’m unavailable at this time, but I’ll call you back.”
Even if those words were an outright lie, it would have given me some form of hope.
After a week or two of no response, I would have accepted that my concerns are not their concerns — which is why my cries for help have fallen on deaf ears.
Are my concerns not valid?
I have done interviews, spoken out, and advocated for better road services.
I have cried out and suffered in silence, pleading for help from the people in power — those with their “fancy” titles and positions — but still, nothing changes.
Why do we elect people to represent us when they are not there serving the very people who elected them?
When are we going to hold those responsible for the accountability of our country — accountable?
When?
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The post My terrifying 10-minute bus ride from Belize City to Hattieville: Transport must act before more people die on the road! appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Thursday, October 9, 2025. 10:11 pm CST. By Freelance Court Reporter, Anita Y. Nembhard: To whom ever will listen and do what’s necessary to preserve
The post My terrifying 10-minute bus ride from Belize City to Hattieville: Transport must act before more people die on the road! appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
