Commuters from Burrell Boom and Ladyville may have noticed that the companies such as Haylock's Buses and Stuart's Buses were not doing their usual runs today.
That's because the Ladyville police cracked down on them for lack of a road service permit. This permit, which is given by the Department of Transport allows, is legally required by all bus operators to conduct business, but we understand that about 2 weeks ago, officers from Ladyville Police started stopping these buses passing through Ladyville.
They were warned that after the Easter Holiday, they will not be allowed to conduct their business if they didn't have this road service permit. And this morning, the cops did just that.
All buses which did not have the permit, or the necessary road worthiness specifications, were impounded.
Daren Stuart, who provides the Burrell Boom run, was one of those operators whose buses were prevented from doing business today.
He says that the Ladyville police are being too strict because there has been a long established practice to assist all operators. He says that in the past, bus operators were allowed to pay for the permit in installments over a period of time. They would be required to show receipts to the police and other authorities, and that these receipts would act as a sort of temporary permit.
This evening in Burrell Boom, Stuart granted us an interview saying that it is not so easy to find the $800 for this permit, since the cost of fuel is high, and they aren't making huge profit margins:
Daren Stuart, Owner - Stuart's Bus Line
"A couple of years ago while I sat as a director in my tenure on the board, had made an agreement with the operators which they will be allowed to pay installments on their permit if they do not have all the cash up front. When you are paying installments, there is no way you will be granted a permit. I will not say that some people don't take it out of bound and ignore it all together, however if the transport is supposed to cut back on everybody, 75% of us will be taken off the road. As a result of that, we have lobbied about our government in the past to try and see how we could have gotten it adjusted. For example, The James Bus line, they are my friends. However, they are paying the very same fare per annum for road service from Punta Gorda to Belize. J&J is paying the very same thing from Benque to Chetumal. Valencia is paying the same thing from Corozal to Benque. Me, as a small operator covering only 19 maybe 20 miles is paying the very same premium as they are paying per annum. If the government was considerate to us and gave us a little opportunity to say 'you will be paying by the amount of miles you cover, we would have been much able to pay everything up front much faster, easier and alleviating all these inconveniences for the commuters out there. Rightfully it is the commuters that are suffering out there at the moment while it is $10.13 per gallon for fuel at the moment for diesel, I made $11 yesterday evening on my 3:45 run going out, but I still have to find the money to subsidize the rest of the fuel. The government don't have us at heart."
Reporter
"By not having the permit, you are breaking the law."
Daren Stuart, Owner - Stuart's Bus Line
"Yes by not having the money to pay for the road permit, we cannot pay the permit because of the imbalance between management and administration and business."
Reporter
"Do you see this particular issue resolving for you personally anytime soon?"
Daren Stuart, Owner - Stuart's Bus Line
"Not unless the ministers or the people in charge of the department are prepared to dialogue with the operators and try to give us an incentive to do so, no."
But, one bus company who wasn't affected by the strict enforcement was Ramos Bus Service out of Lords Bank Village. Bert Ramos, the owner and manager, told us today that as soon as he heard that the Ladyville police intended to be more strict, he made sure to get his road service permit as soon as possible.
He's calling for the cops to stay the course with this crackdown, because from his perspective, the commuters should be demanding the best service from their public transport providers. Here's how he explained it:
Reporter
"Do you accept the argument from those bus operators who say 'give me a little break let me get this road permit', do you accept that as a valid argument as to why they should keep being on the road?"
Bert Ramos, Owner/Manager - Ramos Bus Company
"No because the police, it's not like they came this morning and said that we'll take you off the road. They gave you a time base, they said in the next 2 weeks, make sure you have it together. I called immediately to transport and they responded to our call that the police will take you off the road. If you had the rest of company owners that did the same thing and took the warning from the police, the law is the law. We have to abide by the law."
Reporter
"But sir at the end of the day, you stand to win because as long as they are unable to operate, that is free customers going to your direction. Would you agree?"
Bert Ramos
"No I don't agree to that because we have a time schedule that we move by and I wouldn't move my bus if it's not my time to move. On the road service permit tell you they can take away your permit. I just move on what my schedule have."
Reporter
"Those customers who would have needed to move on those times where those bus companies can't run. They are the ones who are being negatively affected."
Bert Ramos
"Well I'd say yes and you'll blame the bus owners because you have to look after your customers, your commuters are your business. It's very important that you take care of your commuters because those are very important things. When the police come and say this is what we need, it's for the safety of the commuters, of the police and community. I have no problem with what the police is cracking down on."
We understand that the Owner of Haylock's Bus Service out of Lords Bank immediately went to Belmopan to resolve this road service permit issue, so that his buses can resume their normal operations. He declined comment.
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