You might have seen or ridden on the new luxury buses coming out of the south since Floralia's wheels hit the roads on December 6th. There's been a lot of talk about this new bus line that seeks to reinvent inter-district travel in Belize - some people are saying, it's about time, while others think they have ulterior motives, or hidden investors.
And of course, it hasn't been all cake and champagne for this budding bus line.
Today, we visited their offices in Belmopan to hear how they've been coming along. Courtney Menzies has this story.
Floralia buses hit the ground on Monday, starting with two runs from Punta Gorda Town to Belize City and back. These sleek, luxury buses were highly anticipated by regular commuters and the founder, Marvin Vanzie, said that the feedback from the public has been welcoming.
Marvin Vanzie, Founder, Floralia Bus Line
"The reception has been really good, surprised us, we got a lot of positive feedback, but on the first that we arrived in PG to get ready for the first day of operation, we actually had a crown out in PG. I think they were having some event in PG and they came out by the road side and saw the busses and started to shout and clap. So, positive reception and then the following day we actually had a good amount of people on the bus. We've done a lot of marketing, we've done our best to inform people, but now first day, second day we are realizing that even though there is a lot of people that are waiting and they might reach the terminal and they are asking and looking for a representative, but we haven't had a person at the spots yet. But that's something we thought that was lacking and so we are going to make sure that we have someone at Independence, Dangriga, Belmopan and Belize City, so that they could go there and ask what time and even reserve their seat."
And in the three days they've been on the road, they've already run into some challenges - including scheduling issues.
Marvin Vanzie, Founder, Floralia Bus Line
"We've been given a schedule that we are supposed to abide by which the terminal supervisors they supervised and make sure that you arrive a certain time and you leave at a certain time. The times that we were given have been a little bit difficult to maintain to arrive at a certain time, might have been a slightly overlook times or something, but we have a meeting coming up that will allow us as a team and talk to the department of transport to see how those could be be modified, because we have real data with GPS stamps and time stamps for everywhere that we approach and the it also have our speeds, so to be able to meet some of those times, it's been forcing us to maybe even travel faster that we should. So hopefully with that information they could make some wise decisions to modify our schedule."
They've also been getting some pushback from the other bus companies.
Reporter
"You know the south has a lot of James Bus loyalist, have you guys received any lash back, because you're coming in and trying to take over?"
Marvin Vanzie, Founder, Floralia Bus Line
"There has been and there are a lot of other operators as well operating out of the south, not as big as the one you mentioned, but that is fine. We operate starting in PG, but our role is to serve the entire south which includes Independence, Dangriga, Belmopan as well as Belize City and coming out. With that being said it's good to have your fans and your loyalists. Hopefully at some point in time they'd be willing to take a ride and enjoy the difference in the service. But for now, that's okay. Thats not a problem."
Reporter
"Are you prepared if they lash back even harder and start to upgrade their own services, their own standards - are you afraid you would be pushed out?"
Marvin Vanzie, Founder, Floralia Bus Line
"Thats our intention right there. We came in hard with an upgrade and its not just about the busses, its about the technology that we are using, it's about the training that we put in our staff, it's about the customer service, so the busses are only the beginning and we hope that we are always going to be able to up that standard, it's not just Floralia Bus and that's it, if you want to compete well you have to keep following us, because we will not stop."
"Are we here to push out other companies? no, the government had a vision to upgrade, that vision coincided with a business venture of providing public transportation at a different level, so its two things that came together at the same time that makes it nice for the public to enjoy and hopefully rather than push out other entities, it allows for those same entities not only to exist, but to upgrade."
And if you want to try out the amenities that Floralia offers for a smooth ride - but are afraid of the cost, Vanzie says they're prices are the same as the ordinary buses.
Marvin Vanzie, Founder, Floralia Bus Line
"The price of public transportation is regulated by the department of transport which means that there is a price listing for the normal service that has existed in Belize and then there is a pricing a slight increase for the express busses, so Floralia has come in at basically the same exact price as any other express bus, which means that for example from Belmopan to Belize City is $7. And then from PG to Belize City is $28 just like any other express."
And if while riding you have a concern, you can also send them a WhatsApp message, and get a real time response from their HQ in Belmopan.
And in related news, today one of the buses had a minor accident at the terminal in Belize City. According to Vanzie, the bus driver, who is used to driving the regular school buses, reversed into a vehicle that was parked in the compound.
But then on top of that, the bus driver underestimated the height of the bus and damaged a beam on the terminal's gate. This led to the bus's backup driver taking the wheel.
Vanzie also explained that they are in communication with the terminal management so that they can aid in making the necessary repairs.
