Commuters complain about bus service

Close to fifty northern residents, who commute daily to and from Belize City, say the police forced them out of their buses this morning when they were just about to take off for work. As if that weren’t enough, their charter permit issued to the group of workers who call themselves Northern Commuters was also allegedly cancelled. Commuter and teacher at Hattieville Government School, Jose Acosta, says he got to work very late.

Jose Acosta, Commuter

“We arrived in front of the park where we usually meet the bus. The traffic officer from Corozal was already waiting for us with two police officers. The moment the driver stopped the bus, one of the police officers asked that the door be open. The door was opened and he immediately said “get out of the bus because we have to move this bus to the police station.” After that everybody came out who were inside, because there were other people who catch the bus where it passes before it reaches the park. So based on that, those people had to come out, the driver stopped the engine and we were being delayed there waiting to hear what will happen. But the one thing we didn’t like, was that we were told that that bus over there will not be running until.”

Brenda Garbutt, Commuter

“I think the whole north is tired of the whole monopoly. People should have a choice to choose the bus line they want to ride with, and I don’t think that people should be denied that right.”

Ann-Marie Williams

“How do you feel the permit being taken away from Mr. Gilharry?”

Brenda Garbutt

“I feel bad and I think we should do something about it. I think that for a long time, commuters just sit back and let things happen to us and we don’t really voice our opinions. I think it’s time we really talk and really feel bad about it. I’m behind the crowd to rally.”

Luis Teck, Spokesman, Northern Commuters

“From the onset, the Novelos, or the Novelty Enterprise have been against the issuing of a permit because they contend that the bus is taking their customers from them. But as far as we know, the service that they were providing, was basically no service at all. When the change over had just come on stream, before we approach this man to ask for the chartering of the bus, we had to write the Novelty busses. And let me be quite frank, the first day we broke down in Crooked Tree and we had to wait there for at least to hours before we could move on.”

Ann-Marie Williams

“What do you want the authorities to know?”

Luis Teck

“We would like the authorities to know that the reason we charter this bus is for our own, safety, our own convenience, our own commodity. If we are to ride, especially if we are commuting eighty-five miles everyday, to and fro, which converts to a hundred and seventy plus miles, we need to be well relaxed to be able to make it back to work the next day. When we had approached Novelty, we were told flat out, “we do not deal with discount.” That would mean that if we were to ride comfortable busses, we would be looking at nine dollars a day, one way fare, which is eighteen dollars a day. That would be a big dent in our pocket. If we worked out the mathematics of the charter, it would translate to basically ten dollars a day roundtrip.”

Spokesman for the Northern Commuters Luis Teck, himself a ten year commuter, says he finds it coincidental that as Minister of Transport Maxwell Samuels left the country, the permit was cancelled.