For thousands of bus commuters, Monday’s ride to work or school is about to cost more, and many aren’t happy about it. New bus fare increases approved by the Ministry of Transport are set to take effect, allowing operators to charge more per mile. While the hikes may seem small on paper, they add up quickly for long distance travelers who depend on public transportation every day. The announcement has sparked sharp criticism, with social media buzzing and commuters on the ground raising the same concerns: higher fares, aging buses, and little relief for cash strapped riders. News Five’s Paul Lopez examines the new rates, the growing backlash, and how the government is responding.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Commuters are bracing for higher bus fares as new rates approved by the Ministry of Transport take effect on Monday. Under a Cabinet‑approved decision, the Belize Bus Association can now charge eighteen cents per mile on regular runs and twenty cents per mile on express routes. The increase may look small, but for long‑distance travelers, the cost adds up fast.
The most significant increase was approved for the southern route. Commuters travelling from Punta Gorda to Belize City, a hundred and sixty-mile run, will now pay thirty-nine dollars maximum, one way on a regular bus. That equates to seventy-eight dollars round trip. That same run on an express bus is now forty-three dollars and fifty cents maximum, or eighty-seven dollars round trip. Under the new rate, a bus ride from Corozal to Belize City, an eighty-nine-mile distance, will now cost commuters fifteen dollars and twenty-five cents one way, on a regular bus, and thirty dollars and fifty cents round trip. That same trip from Corozal to Belize City on an express bus will cost eighteen dollars and fifty cents one way and thirty-seven dollars round trip. And the list goes on.
A quick, non‑scientific News Five Facebook poll drew more than two thousand responses, with ninety‑six percent opposing the new fares, and the online backlash followed almost immediately. One user says, “Imagine we commute because we cannot afford a vehicle and gas. Now we cannot even afford to take the bus”. These individuals wrote, “all buses should be inspected and should reach certain standards…”, and “Together we have the power to change all these nonsense…” And when we visited the Belize City Bus Terminal to hear concerns from commuters on the ground, the sentiments were pretty much the same.
Paul Lopez
“Miss Jenny, where are you traveling today?”
Commuter #1
Commuter #1
“To 8 Miles.”
Paul Lopez
“And how prepared are you to pay the new prices come Monday?”
Commuter #1
“Well I am prepared because it is only fifty cents more than the two fifty I am already paying.”
Paul Lopez
“How reasonable do you think these increase are?”
Commuter #1
“I have the list front of me and I think it is reasonable, to me. I don’t know about other people, but to me I think it is reasonable.”
Commuter #2
Commuter #2
“I am travelling from Hattieville today and I usually travel to Belmopan for work.”
Paul Lopez
How prepared are you to pay the increased bus prices on Monday?
Commuter #2
“Not fully prepared but I will have to be whether I like it or not. With the raise we don’t mind paying, a lot of us don’t mind paying it if we are riding buses that are properly fixed.”
Those sentiments were captured in a now‑viral social media video shared by one user. Bway this dah cant weh deh bally the try raise funds for. This is not normal G.
Commuter # 3
“I well prepared, because I retired and I the do good. I am alright. But one thing I want them to start to do is upgrade the buses let us sit down and relax good. Some of the buses get some terrible ride. When you reach your destination you are in pain.”
And when we asked Transport Minister, Doctor Louis Zabaneh, about the mounting criticism he said, it is justified.
Louis Zabaneh
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport
“I think they are all legitimate concerns. We knew that this would be a possibility. Obviously nobody wants to pay more for any of their needs including for transportation. But Cabinet had to make a decision because the members of the BBA, particularly those from the north threatened to strike. And that would have been a worst outcome.”
The National Bus Company has announced that it will not increase its bus fares at this time. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
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.
Watch the full newscast here:
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