After weeks of uneasy talks and warnings of possible bus shutdowns, there’s finally a truce on the road. Government officials and bus operators have struck a deal on new bus fares, easing tensions sparked by rising fuel costs. The agreement follows a high level meeting ordered by Cabinet to hear out the concerns of the Belize Bus Association and private operators. The result is a mixed bag for commuters, some routes may see modest fare hikes, while others could actually get cheaper. Both sides say the goal is to keep buses running without overburdening passengers. Here’s how the Belize Bus Association president sums up the outcome of the talks.
Phillip Jones, President, Belize Bus Association
“I am pleased to say that we came to an agreement with the alignment of the price structure and I can share the general public that there will be certain areas that there will be some savings and decrease in certain prices whereby certain prices were higher than in the other area. And there will be a little bit of increase in certain area where there would be probably 25 cents in some, 50 cents in some, 75 cents, or a dollar, or maybe a dollar 50 in some area. And also was discussed was the short drop would now be aligned from the $2.50 to $3 for any short drop within a 10 mile radius. But of course this needs to be gazetted and finalized by the Department of Transport, and once they get the go-ahead from the Minister and the Department and then they will set a date as to when we can start to implement the alignment price structure. Certain areas that was like five or six dollars will now be four or three dollars. And certain areas that was like seven, it will go down on a little bit. And certain areas have been adjusted. So it kind of balance off, so some commuters will see some savings. And I can say the discussion was for us to minimize as much as possible and align the structure properly, and this is where the cost saving will be reduced for some of the commuters. Because what we have went through, it was a tedious process. And both parts was mindful of the commuters and the daily riders and the present state in which we are in from the war, you know. So it was a tedious process, and we had our back and forth to ensure that the public is having maximum consideration in terms of minimizing the high cost in transportation for them.”
For now, fares will remain unchanged until next week, when the Department of Transport finalizes the new tier pricing system.
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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