Bus operators to park buses Monday over expired fuel subsidy

By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Commuters who depend on public transportation may be stranded come Monday.

The Belize Bus Association has written to the Prime Minister advising that its operators will not be able to provide bus services starting Monday, August 24.

The reason is the fuel subsidy that ran out on August 4. That subsidy was part of the deal struck in April, when bus operators blocked the road at the Tower Hill Bridge in Orange Walk. Negotiations at the time produced a three month subsidy and a slight fare adjustment, and the road was cleared.

According to the BBA’s letter, the association tried to head off the current situation with a formal letter to the Ministry of Transport dated July 15. No response came. The association then wrote directly to the Prime Minister on August 5.

Fifteen days on, the BBA says government has still not provided a solution, while operators continued to absorb what it describes as the unsustainable cost of diesel in good faith.

The association says it has now reached a breaking point for the second time.

The letter closes by stating that operators remain ready and willing to meet with government to work toward reinstating the subsidy retroactively.

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