More route problems in transport industry
The current transportation schedules that exist in the south and west were introduced last October. And since then there have been many complaints about the quality of service provided, the unavailability and overcrowding of buses, only to mention a few. But if that were not bad enough, northern commuters have to put up with those same conditions, only on a more frequent basis. That’s because when National Transport Limited took the matter of the distribution of schedules to court, they were successful in getting an injunction preventing the Department of Transport from distributing schedules for the north. So the old problems for northern travellers remain the same. And their call for something to be done has prompted the Department to issue a press release. But the Department seems to be laying blame squarely on National Transport. In the press release, the Department says that the new zoning system applied in the west and south simply cannot be implemented in the north at this time due to the injunction. And while they take that stance, Attorney for National Transport, Lisa Shoman begs to differ.
Candelaria Saldivar, Commissioner of Transport (Via phone)
“They’re the ones that has us in court and, therefore, the injunction was placed on the Department and the Transport Board and so we can’t do anything.”
Marion Ali
“Are you getting any kind of pressure from the other bus services?”
Candelaria Saldivar
“The other bus operators are saying they would like for us to come in and try and come in and rectify some of the problems but, as the press release mentions, our hands are tied in certain areas. And until the court case is completed there are certain things that we cannot do in that area at all.”
Lisa Shoman, Attorney for National Transports (Via Phone)
“They are being extremely disingenuous in suggesting that any current situation on the road has to do with either National Transport or the injunction that was granted because it has nothing to do with that. In fact, the situation with overcrowding on the buses is because the Transport Board seems to be targeting National Transport and stopping their buses, examining their buses, asking for road service permits when they know very well that there has been an injunction in place since December, and that if there is overcrowding of buses, they themselves have told the operators that they are entitled to put on any number of buses during their runs but in fact what they do is to prevent the service provider from putting on these buses by using arbitrary and technical rules, stating that you cannot leave because you are five minutes late or five minutes early.”
“Marion, the ridiculous thing about this is if you have a bus provider who is able to operate and provide service in all zones, logic would tell you that the comfort of the travelling public would be served because you would not have to be transferring from one bus company to another. You could simply get one ticket, have one integrated set of schedules which are set incidentally in order to accommodate the travelling public. So the position my clients have taken is that this zoning, rather than helping the travelling public, is actually inconveniencing it and that because the Transport Board did take the trouble to consult as they must by law, they have absolutely no idea what they’re doing.”
The case before the court between the two entities will be dealt with in October, but until then Saldivar says the Department is consulting with its attorney to try and improve the situation. Meanwhile, News Five has learnt of another problem facing the Transport Department. Reports reaching our newsroom indicate that Belizean tour operators are being blocked, allegedly by Guatemalan tour operators, from taking tours into that country. One concerned tour operator who called us yesterday said the Guatemalan tour operators are blocking their path because they are demanding that they pick up the tours upon entry into Melchor. But this, according to the local operator, would translate into the Belizeans losing money. We asked Saldivar about the problem and she said the Transport Departments from both countries share a mutual agreement to allow tours through our countries. She said because the action is being done by a group of tour operators in Guatemala, then the problem would have to be resolved from the Foreign Affairs perspective.
