Fresh concerns emerge over the condition of the National Bus Company fleet and its operations

Tonight, the Belize Bus Association may be calling for inclusion in the government’s electric bus pilot project, but new concerns are now emerging over the current state of the National Bus Company’s existing fleet, with photos sent to our newsroom appearing to show several buses in deteriorating condition at the company’s compound.  The images, which reportedly include units from the former Floralia fleet now under the NBC structure, show buses parked with visible front-end damage, missing components, cracked windshields, and what appears to be ongoing repair work. Other buses seen at the compound also appear to be out of service or undergoing maintenance.  The condition of the fleet is now becoming one of several concerns being raised about the National Bus Company, which was created following the merger of multiple operators under the government-backed transportation initiative.  The latest images also come less than two weeks after Minister of Transport Dr. Louis Zabaneh acknowledged the need to strengthen the fleet and announced that government was looking to acquire approximately fifteen to twenty second-hand diesel buses in the coming months to help stabilize operations and improve reliability.

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport: “In the immediate future, I’m talking in the next two to three months, we are going to be procuring newer diesel buses to ensure that the continuity of service is there, the quality is there. And again, we knew that we’d have to do some of that. A part of it too will be to gather a certain percentage of the present fleet and auction that on the market. So those are things that we already had planned for from day one, and it’s just a matter of execution. So over the next few months, those things will be done. At this time we’re thinking we’d need between 15 and 20 buses. Once we get in about 20 new buses, when I say that new used buses that’s part of the process of ensuring that we minimize the breaking down on the roads and we keep at least a minimum standard where the buses are air conditioned and they have bucket seats and that sort of thing. Right, so then once we do that, we anticipate that that should be done within the next two months. I would say then the fleet would be in a very good condition to give good service all the way up until they’re all taken out by the end of next year. So that’s how it’s staged out right now.”

In addition to questions surrounding the reliability and maintenance of the buses, Love News has also received reports from both past and current employees alleging that social security contributions for some workers are not being consistently paid into the Social Security Board. Those claims remain unconfirmed by NBC management, and Love News understands that the matter has become a growing concern among some workers attached to the company.