One Bus Company? Operators Pump the Brakes

The road to reform in public transportation just hit a speed bump. The Belizean Bus Association is pushing back hard against a bold new plan from Transport Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh, who’s proposing a single, unified National Bus Company. But not everyone’s ready to hop on board. Bus operators say the idea sounds more like a fantasy than a feasible fix, and BBA President Thomas Shaw made that crystal clear in his comments earlier today. Here’s what he had to say.

 

Thomas Shaw, President, Belizean Bus Association

“First of all, they are saying no, due to the fact that it’s a concept and there is no final preparation. There is no legislation. Whatever he’s saying, what he wants the operators [to do] needs to be done. What needs to be done by the operators, but in reality if you’re serious about change, what the operators are looking at is that they have been in this industry for many, many years. Some have been in operation for over fifteen, twenty years and you didn’t ask the operators if they want to exit the business. You didn’t ask them if they want to sell their franchise. You’re telling them now that you’re going to open this company, we’re going to value your assets and if you want to join the company, you can put that back into shares. What the operators are looking at right now is that some operators only have one run, now if you buy into shares, you know, that goes by dividends. One of the big question is, “How will the dividends be shared? Will it be monthly, will it be annually, will it be quarterly? And these are some of the concerns with the operators. These are some of the concerns because one operator said, “You know, Minister, I had a dream and my dream was to pass on my legacy to my kids. Now, if this thing takes place, your dreams are shattered.”