BBA Demands Transparency with E-bus Contract System

Westline has been confirmed as the sole operator of the e-bus routed to be implemented in western and northern Belize. While the Ministry of Transport explained that the company was selected after a lengthy review by the UN Development Program and Ministry of Transport, the Belize Bus Association is calling for greater transparency in the process. Despite no official announcement from the ministry, Westline had already begun technical training for the operations of the buses. BBA President, Thomas Shaw, spoke with us earlier today to clarify the association’s stance on the matter. Here’s what he had to say.

 

On the Phone: Thomas Shaw, President, Belize Bus Association

“I would just like to make it because they’re very clear that operators are not against the E-buses are rejecting it. They’re just against way how it’s being set up, whereas they don’t feel like there’s transparency within the whole system. When the Honorable Rodwell Ferguson came out of office. His discussion was that the buses would’ve been shared amongst the operators. One in the north and then two in the west. But we are hearing now that only one operator will getting the three buses and in reality, some of the operators didn’t apply, so they were not privy to the information or who applied were privy  to the information. Now what that will create if one operator gets it, all we are trying to do is to have a level playing field. If one operator gets it and he goes the north going the north, then automatically he’ll have to actually infringe on another operator schedule. If an operator gets it in the north, then he can put that bus within his same slot without affecting anybody. In the west, whichever operator it is. If they get that run in the west, then that route, that bus goes on his slot. And it does not affect no other bus company in the west. This is what the operators were looking at, that they think that the buses, it’s not like the operators, they don’t want it. The operators, they want it. They’re not backing down from it.”