Bus Operators Say 75% of Earnings Now Goes Just to Fuel

Belizeans who rely on public buses to get to work, school and back home could soon find themselves stranded. The country’s independent bus operators say they are days away from pulling off the road entirely if the government does not step in with immediate financial relief.

The concerns were raised by Philip Jones, a city bus operator and president of the Belize Bus Association, who said members are facing what he described as a “colossal” financial strain that is making it increasingly difficult to maintain daily operations. His warning came after Cabinet’s decision, which was received last Friday, to delay approval of either a fare increase or a fuel subsidy for struggling operators.

“Any day now, some of them said they will not be able to continue the service because of the high cost of fuel and maintenance,” he said.

The crisis comes as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East pushes fuel prices up. Jones said many operators are now spending 75% of daily incomes just on fuel, leaving little to nothing for maintenance, staff or their own wages.

“Many days we don’t get a salary as owners,” he said.

Jones said he has already begun drafting a letter to Prime Minister John Briceño, requesting a personal meeting, after members lost confidence that the minister of transport would act in their favour.

“They are at the belief that the minister of transport doesn’t want to help them in any way because they feel like they’re being pressured for not joining the NBC,” Jones said, referring to the state-linked National Bus Company.

Beyond fuel costs, Jones said operators also face what he described as unfair competition from the NBC, including what he called “sniper runs”, where NBC buses jump ahead of scheduled independent routes to pick up passengers first, cutting into already thin revenues.

Jones also called on the minister to appoint a Bus Association representative to the transport board, noting the association has had no seat at the table since he raised the issue in writing last September.