A deal has been agreed on in the tour bus standoff. As has been reported – some tour guides and operators in Belize were up in arms because Guatemalan and Mexican tour buses were allowed to stop and pick up passengers while transiting Belize. The thing is that Belizean tour buses couldn’t do the same in the other countries. It came to a head earlier this week when the Transport Department issued a blockade – banning tour buses from entering Belize. Well it has now been resolved. Transport Minister Melvin Hulse says Belizean tour guides will have to be used and the tour buses from Guatemala and Mexico will only be able to pickup passengers from the Water Taxi Terminal.
Hon. Melvin Hulse, Minister of Transport
“They cannot stop anyway on the highways of this country or pick up any person on any highways of this country. You come in, you have your charter to Belize City, not to Princess Margaret Drive, not to Freetown – to the Water Taxi. You drop them off and it is a charter, you pick up your people and you return to Guatemala or you return to Mexico if you’re coming from Mexico. Then we have those two types of transit. We have the direct transit, those people who their charter is strictly to Mexico or vice versa or Honduras or Salvador. They cross the border, go through Boom, cross the next border.”
Jules Vasquez,
They cannot enter the city?
Hon. Melvin Hulse,
“They don’t enter, they can’t enter the city. That is a direct transit, bam. There are those who have charters and are indirect in transit which is that if they come into this country with 40 people for example and they are dropping off 38 at the Belize Water Taxi, they can only continue the journey with the two people they have on it. They can’t pick up anybody else and then they cross whatever border they enter.
So our regular transportation people have no more threat about they stopping along the road and picking up their passengers. That can’t, that is a violation and we are structuring it now that the permit that allows them to do this has on it, as an integral part of it, what the violations is and what the penalties will be and also stating that if you violate it three times, then you permanently cancelled.
So we’ve spoken to the owners of those who are currently doing it and we are also working out where we understand clearly what the Belizean can do when they go with their buses and their things into Mexico; how far they can go, what they can do.”
Jules Vasquez,
Belizean carriers will be able to have the same level of penetration within Guatemala and Mexico?
Hon. Melvin Hulse,
“Yes and any foreign country that comes in here, we will in time.”
Jules Vasquez,
Now you said the difference is immaterial, ADO, but it is not immaterial for operators because if ADO gets road service permits in Belize….
Hon. Melvin Hulse,
“No they don’t have road service permits.”
Jules Vasquez,
Forseeably they may wish to apply.
Hon. Melvin Hulse,
“Foreign companies can’t get road permits.”
Jules Vasquez,
So if ADO started to come it would be under this same limited…
Hon. Melvin Hulse,
“Defined structure.”
Jules Vasquez,
Which limits your pickup point and it limits those you can pickup.
Hon. Melvin Hulse,
“It identifies one and only one pickup point.”
Jules Vasquez,
And that would be the same rule for ADO?
Hon. Melvin Hulse,
“For anybody, for any foreign carrier.”
