And while Vaswani and the mayor say he didn't break any Covid regulations, the same can't be said for bus operators.
We've shown you the pictures of commuters crushed together trying to secure a seat on crowded buses, and this common occurrence has left the Transport Department with no choice but to implement a ticketing system set to start on Monday.
While this may be the department's plan, it is not sitting well with the Belize Bus Association. According to outspoken member Darren Stuart, if the deadline is not extended by two weeks, there will just be no buses running on Monday. He says this extension is needed since - he alleges - the president of the association went behind the backs of the members.
Darren Stuart, Member, BBA
"The president did not have any meeting with the membership, did not have any consultation with the membership, and unilaterally went behind the back of the members without consultation and agreed with the CEO from transport on a particular ticketing system date. While I have no problem implementing the ticketing system, I have a problem in the way it has been rolled out."
"Today would have been the initial date that they would start to implement it, but it would take effect the second of November. I want to say to you and to the public out there listening, it is impractical for us with no notice whatsoever."
"We are asking if they can give us at least two weeks, two weeks is all we are asking for. Within two weeks we can make requests to any of those printing press."
"I can say this to you, the operators are prepared to keep their buses home. The government of Belize do not own these buses, the operators own these buses, the companies own these buses. None of them have blue plates on then, they have green plates. And if the government of Belize or the Department of Transport cannot cooperate and extend the deadline for the next two weeks, then I can tell you there might not be any public transport come November."
We reached out to BBA's president, Andy Shaw, who denied the allegation. Instead, he said that the bus operators - or at least the major ones - were informed during a meeting that the ticketing system would be implemented on Monday. In addition, he said that Stuart's views are not the unanimous position of the BBA, and that this regulation has been in the works for some time since it is mandated by law.
And yesterday, Police Commissioner Chester Williams said the police will be on the ground ensuring that the system is followed. This is a drastic measure for what the ComPol believed could have had an easier solution: simply put more buses on the road. However, Stuart claimed that this is easier said than done since there is not enough revenue to maintain the cost of running more buses.
Darren Stuart, Member, BBA
"If we need to provide additional buses to go up and take the surplus people on that very same time, there needs to be a slack, a schedule for that empty bus to come back to Belize City. Because how can we take, for example, when this bboc bus leaving the terminally right now, let's say for discussion sake that would have been a full bus, you will see how many people will be in that bus when it's time to leave. When that bus, supposed it was full, and they had to put a second bus, how will that bus be coming back empty, who is going to pay for the cost of operation?"
Reporter
"Some would say, if the drivers didn't allow the buses to get crowded in the first place, then this wouldn't have happened in this type of fashion."
Darren Stuart, Member, BBA
"Imagine yourself standing on the side of the highway with your young infant in your hand, with a fever or diarrhea or some ailment of some sort. And there goes the bus, you the flag this bus fi stop fi you make you get your baby dah the hospital. And there goes the bus, fly pass you because it seated. How would you feel about yourself?"
Stuart also informed us that only passengers with tickets will be allowed to wait under the bus shed at the Belize City terminal. We'll keep following the story.
