7 News Belize

A Reprieve For Northern Bus Operators
posted (May 20, 2011)
The new bus routes for the north were supposed to go into effect on Sunday, May 22nd. But amidst howls of protest, the minister of transport today held a meeting with bus operators to address their issues.

The session was held at the coastal zone conference room this morning and went right through the lunch hour. But at the end of it - the minister agreed to suspend the implementation of the new routes by three weeks - which is just what the bus operators wanted. Here's what the president had to say:

Thomas Shaw, President BBOC
"Basically that was my main objective for the day and that what actually what I wanted to say that democracy prevails and the minister actually sat and he listen to us and that's showing respect because just showing something our to the operators - I was personally not in agreement with it, so we have 21 hold back on the whole implementation so we go back to table - go back with my members and after have a meeting with the board and see where we go from there. "

Tomas Chell, Chell's Bus Service
"Well at this moment they suspended it for three weeks and during this three weeks we will be together with all the bus owners and try to see what we can arrange because I lose all my runs from Orange Walk to Belize City and Orange to Santa Elena and they just leave me with one run from Carmelita. My concern is the workers - we have over 10-12 workers working with us on a daily basis and my concern is the workers."

Minister Melvin Hulse
"What is going to help now is that some of the bus operators are prepared to swap and give up - they are offered to do that so they will work that among themselves."

Reporter
"Are you planning to revoke your application so that it can accommodate perhaps Chell?"

Claude Frazer, Chairman - Belize Bus Owners Coop
"No we cannot revoke that. For the record we are going to stay West."

Jules Vasquez
"Will you revoke the one for the North?"

Claude Frazer, Chairman - Belize Bus Owners Coop
"Well if needed yeah we have to do that then we will do that. If there is a need for it then we will do it."

Jules Vasquez
"Only if you can be assured that your place in the west will be preserve."

Minister Melvin Hulse
"Of course, they applied for it. They applied in this application for the north, so for them to be saying 'oh boy we are pushing' man some of them are ashamed to admit to the membership that they may apply for the flippin' north."

Thomas Shaw, President BBOC
"The problem is due to the fact that they brought in Morales, they brought in Chuc with 18 runs, these guys are taking like 18 runs from the west and more than likely they are placing them in the north, so basically this is what actually created the whole problem."

Jules Vasquez
"Is it a concern that two new entrance into the market have been brought into the market when really the market is already saturated and is this being done to satisfy maybe a political favorite?"

Thomas Shaw, President BBOC
"I don't really want to get too much in the politics part of it but from a personal point of view I don't think it's fair, we have operators out here operating for many years - over 15-20 years, has tremendous investment and bringing another new operator into the industry I as the president don't really see a need for it because if the need more busses then they could go back to the existing operators."

Minister Melvin Hulse
"The thing is that there is none. there is not one single person in the northern zone who got approve by the transport board, who is not or have not been running. Why they keep bring this red herring about Chuc in the western zone who have taken no runs from them and the presence of Chuc did not cause BBOC to get run. BBOC is running now and has been running about 3 years now."

Claude Frazer, Chairman - Belize Bus Owners Coop
"We are here to stay here at the west. That's what we are fighting for, so basically that's what we want and it's not just me like I said but the members."

Jules Vasquez
"You all are being push aside to make way for somebody maybe who is more preferred than you all."

Claude Frazer, Chairman - Belize Bus Owners Coop
"Well most definitely, that's how we feel and I also feel good when I heard it from the minister mouth himself that the west is going good so that's why I ask the question if the west was going good then why touch it?"

Minister Melvin Hulse
"They are the ones that said that they have Chuc's - I didn't know before that - in San Ignacio who have a lot of bus."

Jules Vasquez
"How you dent know him Melvin? You are a big UDP."

Minister Melvin Hulse
"Boy, Jules where do I come from? Not south? man come and tell me about somebody in the south, don't tell me that I suppose to know every flippin body in Corozal and Benque, now stop your "rugudums" now ok. But people keep thinking that every time you do something, there must be some secret ulterior motives. when are we going to go beyond that? you news people cause that or just the public out there cause that?"

Jules Vasquez
"It's you all that cause that."

Minister Melvin Hulse
"It's not me at all, you know better that that Jules. "

According to Hulse, Chuc says he has taken over National's busses as part of an arrangement with the Belize Bank - which had sent in receivers to take over that company.

The bus operators association is calling all its members to a meeting next Tuesday at 9:00 am at the Sports Council conference room…

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