Bus wars escalate as Novelo brothers return to road
The company went bust in 2004 under the burden of over forty-eight million dollars in overdue debt and was placed in the hands of a receiver by creditors. Since that time Novelo’s Bus Company has walked the tightrope of trying to regain financial health while at the same time improving service. But now management is facing a new problem in the form of unwelcome competition… from the former owners. News Five’s Karla Heusner reports.
Karla Heusner, Reporting
The receivership in charge of the Novelo?s Bus Company says it was just beginning to make real progress, improving commuter service and cash flow, when a competing bus line appeared on the scene. The National Transport Limited buses showed up two weeks ago, some just yards away at the taxi stand in front of the Novelo?s terminal on the canal side. General Manager of Novelo?s Bus Company Robert Garcia, says not only do these buses owned by the Novelo brothers, who used to own the company now in receivership undercut the receivership?s operations, he claims their drivers are causing unnecessary road rivalry.
Robert Garcia, G.M., Novelo?s Bus Lines
?It does pose some problems, especially for the commuters, in that we now have racing on the road. Since the receivership took over we have not had an accident, bus to bus, or a bus with a bus. We have had accidents, however, in the past month or so with our buses colliding into their buses. So the road situation is becoming rather unsafe, and what the receivership management is asking is for the Department of Transport to enforce the regulations evenly and across the board, with or for each party, as they ought to be doing.?
Garcia claims the National Transport buses arrive during peak commuter periods like early morning and evening, and leave fifteen minutes before Novelo?s buses are scheduled to leave the terminal. News Five did observe one bus parking in the slot on the canal side at two-thirty and then leaving at two forty-one, before the Novelo’s three p.m. bus. Garcia claims this happens every day, several times a day, and is costing his company thousands of dollars in losses. He doubts National has permits for the runs and the receivership has asked the Transport Board to step in as regulator.
Robert Garcia
?I am hoping that whatever they do, will return the road conditions to what we found since fourth March, that the authorised operators will be allowed to operate within the schedules that they have. If we don?t, it makes if very difficult for this management to even stick to its schedule.?
?Our position is that any traditional bus operator, or any newcomer, if they have the permit they should be regulated as indeed Novelo Bus Line limited is being regulated.?
Policy and Planning Officer in the Ministry of Works and Transport, Glenn Tillett, told News Five that National Transport does not in fact have permits from the Transport Board to operate from Belize City to Benque and back. However, a reconstituted Transport Board, chaired by Cedric Borland, is in the process of reviewing all permits. Tillett says that board, which should complete its review in several weeks, is determined not to favour any particular operator. In the meantime, bus drivers are urged to exercise care and commuters are asked to be patient.
