When buses went silent on Monday and commuters along the Phillip Goldson Highway and across Belize City were left stranded, help came from an unexpected place. As Belize Bus Association operations shut down, the Belize City Council’s electric buses stayed on the road and quickly became the backup plan many depended on. Mayor Bernard Wagner says every e bus run was packed, as riders crowded in to get to work, school, and home. The sudden surge, he noted, highlighted just how valuable alternative transportation has become, especially in moments of disruption. What began as a public transportation crisis turned into a real time test of e mobility, and, according to the mayor, the city’s electric buses passed with flying colors.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“It shows that don’t care how you put it we should begin as a society to look at alternative mobility rather than fossil fuel, ice vehicles, diesel vehicles. You become less dependent on fuel prices. That case yesterday was a clear case that if you have electric mobility your prices won’t fluctuate on external problems. If you are running e-mobility the studies have shown that you operate at a forty percent less operational cost. That is what the study has shown. Many of our providers refuse to change. We continue to be in a time warp. We have to change. We have to realize that the volatility of fuel prices will continue to affect us. It does not matter which band aid fix we put. It will come back another three to six months down the road again.”
Mayor Wagner encouraged bus operators to weigh their options and begin to consider how acquiring e-buses may improve the service offered to commuters.
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