National Transport: free bus rides on Saturday
High from the success of their campaign to legally operate on the nation’s highways, this afternoon National Transport bus company announced the publicity stunt of the year. According to Public Relations officer Ismael “Miley” Garcia, the Novelo family and the company’s employees have decided to make this Saturday a fare free day. This afternoon Garcia explained how things will work.
Ismael ?Miley? Garcia, P.R., National Transport
?First of all, we are celebrating today because our buses are on their return routes; it?s the first day that we are utilising the permits that were granted to us. So that?s the first reason for the celebration. And on this occasion we want to do is give something back to the commuters who are really the people who have supported us and worked hard for this day to be possible. And so on Saturday, National Transportation Services, meaning the management, the Novelo family, the drivers and some sponsors will be providing seventy-three free runs on Saturday to help people with their Christmas shopping. Adding to this, we?ve also gotten support from the merchants in Belize City and we will be giving those coupons on the bus on Saturday and these people will be getting special discounts at select stores in the city. There?ll be nine buses coming from the south. That is Toledo, Placencia, Dangriga, Belmopan, Belize City; four buses coming from the west, originating in Benque Viejo; twenty runs from Ladyville, that?s from eight a.m. to six p.m., every half hour there?ll be a bus running. And in Belize City, there are four routes that we have and every hour the bus will be running those four routes in the city, so that?s forty runs and those buses will also be free. So it?s a total of seventy-three free runs and that will be combined with free shopping and special discounts at downtown stores. This has been organised through the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce and business houses that agreed to participate.?
Janelle Chanona
?Miley, we know the permits are for one month. You anticipate that you will be in business longer than that??
Ismael Garcia
?We do because we think that National Transportation Services came in and even though there were complaints from other sectors that are running buses, we know that the buses did provide a service where there were gaps. And we think that those gaps will still be there when those gaps when the expiration of the month. After all, the responsibility of government and the transport department is to provide service to commuters and that is where National Transportation services will come in.?
Tonight we understand that seven of the National Transport vehicles remain impounded after a series of traffic operations earlier this month.
