When Will Belize’s Electric Buses Hit the Road?

The promise of twenty-four electric buses for Belize has generated excitement, but when can commuters expect to see them on the road? Discussions with the Government of Taiwan are moving forward, bringing the country closer to receiving the donated fleet. According to Transport Minister Louis Zabaneh, important work remains before the buses can be deployed on national routes. Today, he shared an update on the project’s progress and explained what hurdles must still be cleared before Belize’s electric transportation future becomes a reality.

 

Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport

“So we have already submitted our specifications on what buses, what we need in the buses themselves. That is based on two visits the manufacturers have made to Belize. The assessments here and now it is in the hands of the Taiwanese government. They will conduct the tendering over there. Remember, we are looking initially at a grant from them and that would move us towards twenty-four buses and charging stations in the first instance. And then, from there, NBC out of its own cash flows, will purchase the other fifty-one buses, to get us to seventy five. So at this time we are waiting to hear from them so that they can get the green light and go and do the tendering and then we start working on however wins the tender, on getting the logistics to get the buses and charging stations from Taiwan to Belize.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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