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The Belize Bus Association is up in arms after a Guatemalan bus started pulling into the Belize City Bus Terminal earlier this week.  For these operators who can't even go into Melchor, it's an insult to see a Guatemalan bus rolling into the country's biggest bus station like it belongs there.  And they blame Transport Minister Edmond Castro.  They told us why today:

Ewart Metzgen - Secretary, Belize Bus Association
"We really kinda just yesterday morning I got the call around 8:00 from another one of the, actually the chairman of the BBOC that the bus is in the Belize City terminal. Upon further investigation we found that that it was the minister who signed the letter allowing these buses to go into the Belize City Terminal. Then he says that the latter that he had signed for these busses were a year and a half ago. It's a lie!  We found out that the letter 08:25 was signed on the fifth of March, 2019."

Darren Stuart - Stuart's Bus
"The authorities, mainly the minister finds it so disrespectful to go against the moratorium that was issued in March of last year, a moratorium was issue that no more permits should be issued. Instead of the minister trying to work with us, he is doing everything to undermine us."

Jules Vasquez
"But we know that also you all have the power to immobilize the country."

Ewart Metzgen
"Ahm, that is true Jules, but we really don't want to go down that road at this time, because we've, in the past couple years ago, the BBOC we have done that.  And I know the minister they are waiting; they are thinking that maybe that's what we will be doing. Because you go to the Belize City terminal today there are police all over the place." 

Darren Stuart
"The Bus Association is set at a point right now if we do not get something done, if we do not get an address by the Department of Transport and the minister, not or the minister, and the minister, and if the PM feel comfortable to sit in on it, fine. If we do not get it solve within a week, we will be doing what we has to do - because the ADO bus coming from Guatemala, the Fuente Del Norte, the Linea Dorado all these buses coming from Guatemala and no Belize bus cannot go and traverse within those other countries. So we feel like we are getting the shitty end of the stick."

Ewart Metzgen
"Bring they da di Benque border, we pick them up from there and we carry them wherever else through to Belize City.  Whoever is to go to northern border, we drop them to the Belize Mexico border and we good with that.  These two countries protect their operators, why is it that our politicians cannot protect the people of Belize?"

We spoke to Castro this evening and he says that he did sign two letters authorizing Guatemalan bus lines - of the greyhound style to make runs to and from Belize.  He says it is done to benefit those Belizeans who are seeking medical treatment in Guatemala or studying there.  He says that the letter of a year and a half ago was for Linea Dorado, and the one in March was for Fuente Del Norte - again, both Grey Hound style buses. But the bus that's been pulling up in th terminal is more "busito" than it is Greyhound. Today, Castro told us that is not what he authorized and it shouldn't be there.