Will Taxpayers Pay More for Transport Office Relocation?

There are new questions tonight about what happens to Transport Department offices now operating inside bus terminals managed by the National Bus Company. Critics say if those offices are moved, taxpayers could end up footing the bill for new rental spaces. But Transport C.E.O. Chester Williams says that is not what is happening. According to Williams, the department needs bigger, more customer-friendly offices as it prepares to expand its services. And he insists that, even with the move, government stands to save money in the long run. Here is how he explains it.

 

Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transport

“I can categorically state to you that that information is not true. Yes, as you would know that we had discussed the expansion of the Department of Transport. If we look at the office spaces in Belize City, Dangriga, and Corozal in particular, you’ll see that there is a issue with congestion. The space is too small to be able to accommodate the amount of officers who works at those different offices. And with the expansion coming, where the personnel at those offices will be expanded by three times what the current staff is. With that, it is going to create more congestion at the terminal. And in addition to that, we also have to take into consideration the public. Many times the public come to these offices to, to do business, and, uh, they have to be waiting outside in long lines. Um, we want to be able to have an office space that is more conducive to, to making the, the, the business environment more user-friendly, um, to the public. So that’s the reason why the Department of Transport is moving from the terminal here… from the terminals across the country, and, uh, not because they are being put out by NBC.”

 

Shane Williams

“Can you speak to us about the cost analysis of this move?”

 

Chester Williams

“Well, again, as you would know, that the, the, the government, um, have been operating the terminals and with the operations of the terminal comes the cost to pay wages, the cost to maintain buildings and as well as operational cost. So if we look at it now, with the terminal passed over to NBC, the government will no longer have to pay the terminal workers. They would no longer have to pay to maintain the building or operational cost. So it is going to cut the financial burden of the government in a sense that, yes, the government is going to lose one million that they would normally be making from the terminal, but at the same time they’ll be saving two million.”

 

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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