Bus Association Warns of Nationwide Shutdown

The Belize Bus Association says its member operators will halt bus services nationwide starting Monday, August 24th, unless the government implements a solution to what it calls the unsustainable cost of diesel.

In a formal letter dated August 20th, addressed to Prime Minister John Briceño and Minister of Transport Dr Louis Zabaneh, BBA President Philip Jones said the association is reaching this breaking point for a second time and that the decision was not made lightly.

According to the letter, the BBA first raised the issue with the Minister of Transport in writing on July 15th, 36 days before the notice, hoping to resolve it before an existing diesel subsidy was set to expire on August 4th. After receiving what the association describes as inadequate attention and response from the minister, the matter was escalated directly to the prime minister on August 5th, 15 days ago.

The BBA says government has not facilitated a solution despite these efforts. The letter notes that an earlier government intervention had previously provided the financial relief operators needed to keep running, but that the industry has since returned to the same unsustainable financial position, worsened by the ongoing conflict in Iran, which the BBA says shows no sign of resolution.

“While the government continues to neglect the situation, operators have in good faith continued to absorb the unsustainable cost of diesel and significantly higher costs for parts, tyres and other essential operating inputs for the past two weeks,” the letter states.

Jones said the BBA remains willing to meet with government immediately to work toward reinstating the subsidy retroactively, which the association says would allow bus services to continue without interruption.

Bus Association Threatens Nationwide Shutdown Over New Fares