“This is Taxpayer’s Money”: Bus Fuel Subsidy Extended to March 2027

Bus operators will continue receiving a $2-per-gallon fuel subsidy through March 2027, which is beyond the three-month period the Belize Bus Association (BBA) originally requested. It was approved on Wednesday. 

According to Transport Minister Doctor Louis Zabaneh, Cabinet did not need to renegotiate terms, since most conditions had already been settled during the first round of assistance months ago.

The subsidy takes effect after the previous subsidy period and can continue until March 31, 2027, provided fuel prices remain above the $12 threshold.

“Conditions have gotten a little better from about almost sixteen dollars to about almost fifteen dollars with the price of diesel, but still high. I think that is what motivated Cabinet to give this approval, to go for the next three months period and possibly all the way to March of next year,” Zabaneh said.

The first three months of the subsidy provided operators with $3 per gallon. That was reduced to $2 after fuel prices dropped by about a dollar.

Zabaneh says the ministry will monitor both fuel prices and operator compliance, with a report going to Cabinet every two months to determine whether the subsidy remains necessary.

According to Zabaneh, the first three months cost the government approximately $1.5 million across participating operators. He added that the subsidy is ultimately being paid for by taxpayers and cannot be treated casually.

“This is a support from the people of Belize. This is taxpayer’s money and these are funds that could have gone to other things, medicine at the hospital, or scholarship for students,” Zabaneh said.

Each operator’s fuel use is tracked weekly through a verification system involving receipts and a ministry database.