Electric Buses Coming to Belize City by June

During an interview with Mayor Bernard Wagner today, he also gave an update on a project to introduce electric buses and taxis to the public transportation system in Belize City. The E.U.-funded pilot project, which is being implemented through the United Nations Development Programme, began back in 2018 and is on schedule to come on stream in June of this year. Mayor Wagner says that the route details and additional information are being finalized, as the buses will be in-country within the next five months.

Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor

Bernard Wagner

“The project is an EU funded project, implemented through the UNDP. UNDP has since sent out the procurement of the buses and we already have in place the individual who will be leading the development of the transport app. We are expecting those buses to be here in June so we will be very active in establishing the route. We will be very active in ensuring that the streets that that bus will run on are in a very decent condition. We will ensure that we get the bus stops on the route retrofitted and put in a good standing where it is able to provide the Wi-Fi services to those commuters.”

Duane Moody

“So this is to come on stream in June, you said?”

Bernard Wagner

“In June. That’s the timeline and we have been on the timeline from the inception of the project. I started way back in 2018. We are now in 2023. We need to finalise and get this pilot project off the ground.”

Duane Moody

“How many buses?”

Bernard Wagner

“It will be two buses along with eight to ten taxis, e-taxis, as well. So we are trying to build an ecosystem of e-mobility.”