Squeezed by Fuel and Competition, Dollar Van Drivers Raise Fare

Belize City commuters, get ready to dig a little deeper into your pockets. Starting June first, the familiar dollar van ride will cost you three dollars, a jump that drivers say they simply can’t avoid. Rising fuel costs are driving the fare hike, with operators saying it’s the only way to stay afloat. Drivers also face stiff competition from unregulated pick-up services cutting into their earnings. For commuters already feeling the squeeze, the jump to three dollars will add up fast, especially for daily riders. So come June, what will this mean for getting around Belize City? News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.

 

Britney Gordon. Reporting

Belize City commuters have less than a week before dollar van fares jump from two dollars to three. It may sound minor, but for people riding every day, that extra dollar quickly adds up, turning a small increase into a real hit on the wallet.

 

Belize City Resident 1

“So far it’s not really affecting me, but I would say that for the mothers who are struggling out there, then it would, because it’s $3 for a short distance. It’s not like it’s taking you to a longer distance for the three dollars.”

 

Dollar van drivers say the increase is unavoidable, with fuel prices now nearing fifteen dollars per gallon. No matter the means of transportation, once it requires gas, it’s coming at a higher cost.

 

Belize City Resident 1

“We’re feeling the pinch nowadays. You’re putting twenty dollars gas in your car and it’s not even lasting you so long like it would in the past.”

 

Several dollar van drivers say they refuel every day and are already seeing their profits slip away.

 

Paul Nwuaobi, Vice President, Belize Dollar Van Association

“Before we  were spending like about a one hundred and maybe one hundred ten, but right now it’s almost like one hundred sixty dollars  and, which is not it’s not a cheap sum because every day when we work, it’s like we work for the gas station and probably sometimes reach home at evening time you can’t do business to see the profit that you make because when you work, every time you have to go to gas station, every time you have to go to gas station. So it’s not encouraging at all. And our members are really crying.”

 

Vice President of the Belize Dollar Van Association, Paul Nwuaobi further explains that vehicle maintenance also comes at a high cost and without a price adjustment, some drivers may not be able to keep up.

 

Paul Nwuaobi

“It’s so very expensive and we need to maintain these vehicles. We need to make sure when our vehicles get any little problem, we could fix it and make it to be in a good standard. So all of that need to happen and when it’s not, we know when it’s not happening, we’re not doing good business. So that’s why the increment is very important because anybody that does business need to make a lee profit.”

 

The planned fare hike comes on the heels of independent bus operators, who raised prices at the start of May. One Belize City resident notes that those travelling to work every day are already feeling the pinch in their wallets.

 

Britney Gordon

“Do you think people will be feeling the impact of these changes?”

 

Belize City Resident 2

“Yes, they will because you have some that have to travel to work. I have a daughter, two daughters. One work at Atlantic Insurance, the other work at Mirab, and they have to take bus to go and come.”

 

Another points out that as the cost of living continues to rise, Belizeans may need to budget a little tighter to accommodate.

 

Belize City Resident 1

“You would need to pinch back for the, for us that travel every day to work, then you would say, okay, you’ll cut back probably on your groceries so that you could have enough to pay for the buses.”

 

While the cost of a dollar van ride is going up for adults, children’s fares remain the same. Nwuaobi says the decision aims to ease the burden on parents traveling with one or more children, so the cost doesn’t become overwhelming.

 

Paul Nwuaobi

“We have feelings. We know it’s not easy because most of those kids, their parents sometimes move with them and at the end of the parents need to pay three dollars again and have to look for another two dollars again to pay for them. So that’s why we said instead of increasing for the kids, we could still leave it at a dollar since their parents sometimes have to go with them so it doesn’t be a too much burden for them.”

 

Dollar vans may have outgrown their name, but drivers say they’re still holding on, hoping better days are ahead. With the cost of living climbing, they’re banking on some economic relief down the road, one that could eventually bring fares back down and ease the strain on both drivers and daily commuters. Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

The Association remains in dialogue with the Belize City Council to best address the issue of competing prices services travelling along Dollar Van’s routes.

 

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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