The Belize Bus Owners Association is calling on the Ministry of Transport to reconsider its decision to award all three electric buses, donated by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme, to a single operator - Westline Bus Company Ltd.
In a letter to Transport Minister Louis Zabaneh, the association expressed concern that the change in allocation was made without consultation. The BBA says a previous commitment had been made to distribute the buses across the country's the North, West, and South, allowing different operators to gain experience with electric bus technology.
The association argues that giving all the buses to one operator creates an unfair long-term advantage while limiting the value of the pilot project's data to a single region.
The BBA is urging the ministry to act in the interest of equity and inclusion, and to reallocate the buses among operators nationwide.
