Yesterday, residents in the city who rely on public transportation were stranded for hours after the City's Traffic Department grounded Belize Transit's fleet of buses. Belize Transit Limited is of course one of the new "old" companies run by the Novelo brothers, David and Tony. Early this morning it was a replay of yesterday this time on the Northern Highway when at a checkpoint which it seems was set up specifically for them, the National Traffic Department pulled over Ladyville Transport buses being operated by the brothers. By the time our team arrived on the scene the passengers mainly students and workers had already secured rides to the city. But the Novelo brothers were just arriving on the scene, which set the stage for a confrontation with traffic personnel. Keith Swift has the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Just one station was there this morning as frustrated Novelo brothers, David and Tony, confronted Traffic Department Officers who had pulled over two of their Ladyville buses at a checkpoint at the mouth of Vista Del Mar.
David Novelo,
[Speaking to Transport Officer] "Why are you stopping them?"
Tirso Galvez, Department of Transport
"We are stopping the buses because the bus does not have the a road service permit."
David Novelo,
"But you have been given it there. You are here regulating that a bus has to run with a road service permit, we are giving you a copy of a road service permit attached with the Commissioner of Transport (authority) indicating that this time there are permits that are expired are still legal until otherwise. Now what is the problem?"
But while the Novelo brothers might have a permit, the problem is they don't have a license. That is why yesterday their city buses were parked and today they were pulled off the highway. The explanation again is that these buses weigh too much.
Tirso Galvez,
"The City of Belize registered vehicles, these buses in particular, which were in excess of 10,000 pounds which is against the law. The law clearly states that the City Council has no authority to register any bus or motor vehicle over 10,000 pounds and this is the stipulation so the City Council has created a problem which we have to resolve because the bus is being operated on the major roads. One of the issues on our part is enforcement and we cannot allow vehicles to be running on the road as it is right now with passengers and without license plates and without stickers and of course..."
David Novelo,
"Well we have shown you that we have the license plates and the stickers can easily be affixed to the equipment at this moment right now and we have a road service permit so what is the problem?"
Tirso Galvez,
"I don't know. We need to see the owner."
And who is that owner? While the Novelo brothers have started running these buses under the name Ladyville Transport, the Novelo's Bus Company is also running buses using that same name.
Tirso Galvez,
"Since you have had issues with this situation right now and you are claiming that those are being operated under Ladyville Transport Limited, I think we need to verify by means of the certificate of registration whether or not those buses are registered to Ladyville Transport Limited. And if you cannot then you understand."
David Novelo,
"But Mr. Galvez...."
Tirso Galvez,
"I think you get the message now. I think you understand the whole scenario now."
David Novelo,
"No you have me very confused. Let me tell you why I am confused and I am going to go straight at it. You know very well because you have been for so long, how many years have you been working with the Department of Transport?"
Tirso Galvez,
"17 years."
David Novelo,
"17 years okay. We have, and I'll give you a simple example, Mr. Froylan Gilharry who owns Venus Bus Line "
Tirso Galvez,
"But we are not talking about that? Why bring up Froylan Gilharry?"
David Novelo,
"No l am explaining to you in terms of the logic that right now you have Venus Line and whereby the buses are owned by Mr. Froylan Gilharry."
Tirso Galvez walked off leaving David Novelo in mid-speech. And now with their buses parked the brothers say they believe they are being targeted.
David Novelo,
"Its actually a personal harassment on the family. We know we are in within our rights, the boundaries of what governs legality, and as I said to yourselves we have been attacked severely about these loans. We are not afraid to confront in terms of to expose how the loan came about but we are primarily here because a year has passed, we are hurted that a company that my father took 45 years to establish is being destroyed on a daily basis."
Jules Vasquez,
Will this run and this company, Belize Transit Services, be able to survive with these multiple forces clearly orchestrating the demise of this new Novelo's Company?
David Novelo,
"Well there's the saying that says you can't put a good man down and I think that with faith and the divine intervention and with the support of the people and for all that's been said of the Novelo's brothers and the family, we have throughout the 45 years been assisting communities in many different ways and we think that people will support this."
Antonio Novelo,
"This was a normal day to day adventure for us and we're getting back to our roots that whereby we have to be facing just common sense and it's a challenge. One beautiful thing is that we're still young."
But no matter how game the Novelo boys are for a long, long war with the traffic powers that be, while they fight, commuters will have a hard time supporting parked buses.
This morning police detained the drivers of the two Ladyville Transport buses. The drivers were later charged for not having road service permits, not displaying their stickers, and not having license plates. These are of course the same license plates and stickers, which the Novelo brothers allege the city traffic officers removed from the buses. We were unable to get comment from either the Traffic Department in Belize City or in Belmopan.
