The United Bus Operators Association (UBOA), a newly formed group representing independent bus operators, says dissatisfaction with the Belize Bus Association (BBA) led members to establish a separate organisation.
The UBOA says it already has around 33 members and intends to work with the government to improve public transportation and secure better operating conditions for bus operators.
Michael Frazer, President of the association, says approximately 70% of its membership previously belonged to the BBA.
Frazer says the association wants to work with all stakeholders to improve the quality of public transportation. “We want to affirm the general public that we will be working as hard as possible to have more reliable buses on the road,” Frazer said.
He says the association is seeking government assistance to make those improvements possible, including duty exemptions to bring in more reliable buses.
“Putting the money in our hands is not actually what we are looking for. We are looking to spend wisely. For example, duty exemption, bringing more reliable buses,” he said.
The formation of the UBOA comes as the government continues to advance its plans for the National Bus Company (NBC), established under its public-private partnership policy.
Frazer says the group is not opposed to modernising public transportation, including the introduction of electric buses through the NBC. He believes independent operators should also have opportunities to benefit from similar initiatives provided to the NBC.
Minister of Transportation Louis Zabaneh says the government remains willing to work with all bus operators, regardless of which association they belong to. He says the ministry will maintain an open-door policy and is prepared to collaborate with the newly formed UBOA as well as the BBA.
“We have our doors open to everyone, and we will continue to work with all our operators in a genuine manner,” Zabaneh said.
He also rejected suggestions that the government has treated operators differently based on political affiliation, pointing to the participation of UDP-affiliated operators in the NBC as evidence that the initiative is not politically driven.
In a statement dated November 5, the BBA welcomed the formation of the UBOA but disputed claims about its membership. The association says it previously had 31 operators, 17 of whom joined the NBC, leaving 14 members. It says only a few smaller, inactive members joined the UBOA.
“The BBA’s core and active membership has actually strengthened, growing to 18 operators at our general meeting on Sunday, November 1, 2026,” the association stated.
