Two Years of Recovery for Bus Industry

We have been reporting on the economic woes of the transportation which has been battered by the COVID 19. A full recovery for the industry is a few years away, as buses, water taxis and airlines are operating well below capacity during the coronavirus crisis. Tropic Air the biggest domestic airline has reduced its staff cutting it down by sixty percent. According to the Belize Bus Association, the industry is running at thirty percent.  The president of the Association says that resolving the issue of dire straits in public transportation will require an all hands on deck approach.

Isani Cayetano

“In looking ahead, have you guys been able to perhaps forecast what it would take to get back to some measure of your optimal capacity before the coronavirus?”

Ewart Metzgen, Secretary, Belize Bus Association

Ewart Metzgen

“I’d say it would take around maybe two years or a little bit over two years for the bus industry to rebound and to really say get back but it would be a hard road getting back there if we can’t sit down with the people in authority from the Transport Department, whoever the government may be after this.  I mean, really and truly, whoever takes over they need to sit with us to really do a comprehensive overhaul of the bus transport industry because it means that we are at a point now where we need to look at that for the wellbeing of the industry and for the betterment of the industry for commuters.  I mean, the government is asking a lot of operators but we are also seeing problems where we’re bucking heads because the government wants what they want and with no regard to the operators.”