And the gas prices aren't just affecting the tour operators' livelihoods Dalla Van drivers have the same lament. But surprisingly today, they had bigger issues to deal with than the gas prices.
This morning, traffic officers were diverting them from their normal route, forcing them to stay out of the downtown area. And for these drivers most of whom started less than two years ago after the pandemic left them unemployed the blockage puts a major dent in their already thin wallets.
But this problem allegedly stems from the Dalla Van union which these drivers are not a part of. The union's members are mostly Nigerians and these drivers - mostly Belizeans - claim that they're not being allowed to join. They feel that the Nigerians have rigged the game, so to speak, by excluding them.
Now they say that the union isn't paying its taxes and claim that because these drivers have taken their route, they can't make as much off fares which is why the drivers we spoke to are now being obstructed. So they've decided to take matters into their own hands and form their own union.
We'll let you hear the dilemma from them. Here's that story.
Manuel Alonzo - Dalla Van Driver
"We found out that back here, the people needed help because all those guys abandon the post when the thing drop down, like you can't make money. We, all of we, we decide to grind but we will make, like how they see everything pick up again, they want come back in the house, when we clean the house, we repair the house, we keep the customers on their way, we never left one day, Sunday to Sunday we are out here."
Lindbergh Audinett - Dalla Van Driver
"Mr. Jenkins say the union owe about 12,000 dollars and they the try collect but they can't collect because of we, they say we the stop them from making money, so that's why they can't pay the union, so right now, they the stop we from go to town, we can't even go to town. When we reach canal side, we have to turn around, they don't want us to go to town, we born and grow in Belize, how will we can't drive in town?"
Enrique Cuellar - Dalla Van Driver
"We have to the pay rent for our own van, we got rent to pay and all of that, we no the make like that."
Courtney Menzies "So they start to block today?"
Enrique Cuellar "This morning around 8:30, they start to throw we off, so that is why we have to try stand up because this no right."
Lindbergh Audinett "We already left from Mr. Jenkins just a while ago and he give we some option, he said what we can do is form a union but with a different route, same route but slightly different and we can make our own union if possible the union member no want invite we in their union because we no mind get in their union, just tell us how much we need to pay and we will get in a union because we need to work."
Joseph Vaccaro - Dalla Van Driver
"We tell the man them we want get in the union but the man they refuse because they have to say they a lot of people the want get out of the union and so far, majority of people that the run the union is mostly African, you barely have Belizeans and one man, two man own all the vehicle them, it kind of ridiculous and when you the rent a vehicle for 16 months, 18 months, 300 a week, then when you done pay for that, you can't get the plate."
Kelechi Ogbuji
"They have man in dalla van that have 10 vans, most of the people in dalla vans, own all of these van and when we come to the meeting, try talk, they no want respect anybody, they no want make you talk because they have their personal agenda, that's why they take me out, that's why I glad I come out from there, now we create this so we can carry our agenda, do good job to this community, so it help our city council too because when we start, city council will benefit from it too."
Felix Vargas - Dalla Van Driver "One thing they never use to do is go back of gungulungs, we pick it up on our own initiative, we go back of gungulungs and we pick up the customers and we bring them out and when they at 2 dollars, we drop our price but look like they have the customers, so we stick to 2 dollars but we do what they don't do, we take them way back by Chetumal Street and back out. So all of a sudden, we can't join the union now, they kick we out, watch on how much of we are here, can't run, can't do nothing and we have family to feed, we have our kids, we have bills to pay, all we the beg is just make we try join the union back."
Courtney Menzies "So you were a part of it and they kicked you out?"
Felix Vargas "I was a part of it and they kick me out, all of we right here."
Natalie Zelaya - Dalla Van Driver
"We just got a call from Mr. Jenkins stating that he's going to a meeting with us next week to see if we can join this union or if we can create our own union, that's the only good part about it that he's looking out for us."
Courtney Menzies "But until then you still lose out because you can't go out of town."
Natalie Zelaya "Yes I'm still losing because we can't go out of town so that's the only part and for some us we paying the van, how will we pay for the van? It's 50 dollars a day, 300 a week, if we can't work today and until next and we can't enter Duck lane, we can't pick up no one and we can't make no money to pay the van, so how will we survive from now until then?"
The meeting between the traffic enforcement manager, Kevan Jenkins, the unions, and the drivers will be held on Monday afternoon.
