Bus Operators Push for Hands-On Role in Electric Bus Pilot

The Belize Bus Association is urging the government to include operators in the next phase of the electric bus pilot, stressing the need for hands-on experience. In a letter to the Ministry of Transport, the BBA says its members have yet to operate the electric buses now testing in Belize City and along the western corridor. Without that real-world exposure, the group argues it can’t properly gauge costs, maintenance, or route performance before committing to long-term investments. The association wants the buses to be rotated among its members so operators can test them on both city and national routes. It also says wider participation would make the pilot more inclusive and give more commuters a chance to try the new technology. We spoke with BBA president Phillip Jones.

 

Phillip Jones, President, Belize Bus Association

“From the inception of the EV program under the UNDP and UN we have wrote letters to the UNDP and the president and representatives in this area that we wanted to be a apart of the pilot project. However we were denied at that time. Hence the reason we find it prudent that we revisit that, because if you are saying you want the entire country to have the knowledge or use the service or go green in order for that to be the case, you need to have anyone involved and we are a major stakeholder in the bus industry. We at the BBA have over fifty members, being highway, village and we also have two operators that operate tour buses. We also have school operators. We feel at the BBA, that we want to have hands on experience. You can’t just be going based on analysis going second hand. We want firsthand experience.”

 

No More Pilot Buses, Transport Minister Points to Ownership Path

 

The government is signaling a shift in direction as Belize’s electric bus pilot winds down. Transport Minister Dr. Louis Zabaneh says the trial phase is now over, meaning there are no more project buses available to share with local operators. But he insists the door isn’t closed. Instead, Zabaneh is pointing bus operators toward a more permanent route into the electric future. He says BBA members can get on board by joining the National Bus Company or by forming their own company and investing directly in electric buses.

 

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport

“I am pleased to share with you that the last operator from the south that did not join has now joined and two operators from the north have now applied to join the National Bus Company. So that is clearly, in my opinion, the preferred path because now you have a public private partnership that comprises government and reflects the policy of the government that they can benefit from. Or they can continue being independent operators and we can work together and share whatever knowledge we have with them. The NBC is a private company, so whatever e-buses it buys is for the use for services to commuters who use NBC services. They would  have to, as independent operators, organize, form a company and procure e-buses. Now, we as the ministry are very pleased to share with them what we have learnt in setting up the National Bus Company and we told them that already.”

 

Minister Zabaneh says the advantages of joining the National Bus Company are starting to resonate with BBA members, as three more operators have now switched over.

 

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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