By Aaron Humes: The recent spike in diesel prices by 20 percent, sending pump prices soaring above 14 dollars, has sent shockwaves through the transport sector, particularly affecting local bus lines that rely heavily on diesel engines. Following the announcement of the price hike just three nights ago, several village bus operators quickly attempted to raise fares by 50 cents per run.
However, Transport Minister Dr Louis Zabaneh swiftly intervened, declaring that any unilateral fare increases by private bus companies are illegal. “We have sent out an advisory to all operators those that are not members of the national bus company and indeed anyone that’s running a bus run if you will village runs or wherever they are working that there’s a specified rate for operators that must be abided by a ceiling above which they cannot go. So, we saw a couple operators trying to increase their rates and we have already advised them that they must stay within the regulated fares,” Dr Zabaneh explained.
The challenges facing the transport sector remain significant. Apart from inputs and prices, the National Bus Company (NBC) is grappling with mixed public feedback regarding its operations, which have struggled to meet the needs of passengers since its inception barely a month ago.
“We ask the public to understand that this correction, this improvement cannot be done in 20 days, cannot be done in 20 hours and I’m sure some people would have wanted it to happen in 20 minutes. It cannot happen, it will take 20 months for you to start to see the benefits, why? Because it’s not like we got a pool of 100 million dollars at our hands and we can just bring buses and have them all ready all at once,” Dr Zabaneh stated. He announced that new electric buses are expected to begin arriving in September, with a full phase-in projected until 2027.
The newly appointed CEO of the National Bus Company, Susana Vanzie, remains optimistic despite the hurdles. She addressed the complexities of merging 17 different companies into a cohesive operation, noting that adapting to new structures and cultures has been a key focus as they aim to improve service efficiency and passenger satisfaction: “Many of the challenges have to do with the structures that were not where they needed to be in the past. And so, focusing in on that and trying to streamline things to see how we could become more efficient, become more sustainable, and become more focused on serving the passengers. Also, existing cultures from different companies, because that’s just normal, right? Every company has its own culture. So, trying to merge 17 different company cultures into one new culture with one new vision and mission is always going to be a challenge. But I think we’ve made a lot of progress internally in starting to merge all of those,” Vanzie said.
As the transport sector braces for the long road ahead, both the Minister of Transport and the NBC leadership are urging the public to remain patient, emphasizing that real improvements may take time but are essential for a more sustainable future in public transportation.
The post Transport Minister insists bus fares cannot increase despite 20 percent diesel price increase; new National Bus Company will weather challenges appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Aaron Humes: The recent spike in diesel prices by 20 percent, sending pump prices soaring above 14 dollars, has sent shockwaves through the transport sector, particularly affecting local bus lines that rely heavily on diesel engines. Following the announcement of the price hike just three nights ago, several village bus operators quickly attempted to
The post Transport Minister insists bus fares cannot increase despite 20 percent diesel price increase; new National Bus Company will weather challenges appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
