James and Griga Line Successfully Sue Transport Board and Floralia

The road service permits issued to Floralia in 2021 and 2022 for runs to Punta Gorda and Independence have been quashed.  Earlier today, the High Court rendered a decision in favor of the proprietors of Griga Line and James Bus, in a claim brought against the Ministry of Transport, including the minister, his C.E.O., the Transport Board, the Chief Transport Officer, and the Chairperson of the Transport Board.  In March 2022, an application for judicial review was filed in respect of the road service permits granted to Floralia Bus Line.  The purpose of the judicial review was to declare illegal and void the road service permit that was issued to the public transportation company.  Earlier today, Justice Genevieve Chabot ruled against the Ministry of Transport and others, including Floralia, in a twenty-three page decision.  The High Court declared that the defendants acted unlawfully and ultra vires when they awarded Floralia the runs in question.  The cancellation of Floralia’s road service permits are set to come into force on December tenth.  This evening, News Five spoke with Senior Counsel Dean Barrow, the attorney for Griga Line and James Bus Line.

Dean Barrow

Dean Barrow, SC, Attorney-at-Law

“Well basically, the Transport Board improperly did two things, it gave Floralia runs from Punta Gorda to Belize City and back and specified times that were altogether too close to the times that James Bus Line who’s been serving that southernmost district for years and years, too close to the times that they had.  Also though, it gave Floralia runs between Dangriga, between Stann Creek and Belize City without considering the fact that Bryant Williams had been operating those runs for some years although in the name of his deceased uncle.  His uncle, as I remember, was Calbert Williams and for some time Calbert had been having some financial difficulties so Bryant took over.  Calbert died and Bryant continued to operate the business as though it was his business even though there wasn’t a sort of formal name change in the registry.  The Transport Board, in giving those runs to Floralia, decided, “No, Calbert is dead, so we have no obligation to you, Bryant.  Even though you have, in fact, been acting in his shoes and it’s been made clear to us that you own the buses, all that sort of thing In the case of certainly the James Bus Line people, damages have been ordered in their favor.  The damages are to be assessed because giving Floralia the runs so close to the James runs interfered with James’ business, with their clientele with their profits and likewise for Williams, in terms of the Dangriga runs.  At least with James, their runs continued, except there had been the encroachments.  With Williams, he got no runs at all.  And so, again, he is able to have damages in his favor assessed by the court.  The court made an order, damages are awarded, the actual quantum will be fixed according to the rules of court.  So that is going to be a second installment, if you will.”