Gas prices down to new lows; transport prices stay

In last night’s evening newscast we reported that prices for gas at the fuel pump has decreased to lows not seen not seen in years. Diesel is now at six dollars and ninety-six cents a gallon, premium at seven-forty-one a gallon and regular at seven dollars and five cents a gallon. It is good news for motorists who can get more miles per dollar for their vehicles. But what about those Belizeans who don’t have a vehicle and rely on public transportation? There are many who assume that the fares for taxis and bus rides will also decrease to stretch their dollars and that is exactly what we asked taxi drivers and commuters today.

Commuter #1
“Since the gas price gone down to seven dollars and five cents, I think the taxi and the bus drivers should lower their prices because ih hard fi yoh actually find that money to travel everyday on the road. And the taxi man I think they could lower their prices even a dollar less.”

Commuter #2
“On the bus I ride to the city for a dollar or two dollars to go on the other side of the bridge. That’s wrong, they can charge at least five dollars ih noh have to be seven and eight dollars like what they do.”

Taxi Driver #1
“We understand the people want to know if the taxi fare going down. But I know di gas gone down but we still have to di pay big money fi parts and tire and noh because gas gone down noh means ih no gwein up back. Ih definitely gwein up back and when we noh know that. So we can’t drop and den by tomorrow or next week di gas price boost up again. Right now we appreciate the lee reduction of the gas.”

Taxi Driver #2
“Well right now I wouldn’t take it down at the moment because every time they have a shipment of gas coming in the price kinda differentiate. So we’ll have to watch it to see if it goes down some more. If it goes down some more. If it goes down some more, fine we could probably go back to five dollars which was like years ago. We can’t be raising prices every time the gas price goes up because customers won’t be able to ride and that’s what you find in the past that most people was catching the bus because it is much cheaper. But now that gas is much cheaper, we could probably work between six and five now depending on how far in the city we travel.”

Taxi Driver #3
“Well, we the members of the Mahogany Street Taxi Union, we right at the present moment we appreciate the price of gas going down. When the price was up we didn’t raise the prices of our taxi anyway so we feel that it’s just fair for it to remain at six dollars right. So we really appreciate the price of gas going down.”

Taxi Driver #4
“Dis dah Mahogany, we did never change wi price, fi we price still remain di same. We still mi di charge five and six dollars. And now dat di gas price drop we wah just benefit lee more.”

Taxi Driver #5
“We run from back ah mahogany and Complex Taxi stands but we deh pan di furthest points from A to B cause when we go way out ah town we keep fi we price dah six dollars and when dah person come from out deh so dehn charge dehn seven, eight dollars. And lot ah time dehn come out deh dehn noh want ketch taxi, dehn ketch di dalla van because dehn done jerk dehn up when dehn come from out dah side deh but we keep fi we thing straight at six dollars.”

Taxi Driver #6
“I have to stay di same six because ih yoh go down yoh noh wah mek nothing. Yoh car di bruk up and yoh noh wah si no head way off ah it. Di lee gas price weh drop down just di help di taxi man dehn. If ih go down ih wah be worse cause nothing noh di happen. Six dollars dah noh nothing compared to wah four thousand dollars car or wah three thousand dollars car. So we have to stay right weh pah yoh deh; yoh can’t go down.”

Pedestrian
“I no drive taxi so I cannot say nothing about the gasoline price. But the cooking gas, dat dah di one weh I want come down. I di pay to high fi dat now; hundred and odd dollars fi wah tank. Can’t mek it, I use firewood dats why I have wah big fire hearth now. Please bring down the cooking gas for me.”

International fuel prices have been going down and although the prices were expected to decrease, some people believe it had to do with the good fortunes of U.S. president elect, Barack Obama.