Bus operators to demonstrate in Belize City

At midday today a deadline given to the Minister of Transport expired. It has been five days since West Line took over several bus runs to the north and despite protest by rival bus operators it seems that the company, owned by Sergio Chuc, will remain a fixture on the Northern Highway.  That’s what Minister Melvin Hulse indicated this morning to President of the Belize Bus Association, Thomas Shaw. Hulse basically told him that there isn’t much that can be done to remove West Line from the route.  According to Shaw, he was told by ministry officials that West Line had already been granted a road service permit for the northern runs.  But that was not the answer that bus operators were anticipating and this afternoon Shaw met with his membership to inform them that Hulse is also using the age old tactic of divide and rule to get the best of the disgruntled operators.

Thomas Shaw, President, Belize Bus Association

“You are telling me now that you cannot remove West Line.  She said well that’s the position Mr. Shaw.  She said what you need to do is go back to your members and the quicker you could get your members together then the twenty-one days could be [waived].  I said well we didn’t ask for that.  We didn’t ask for no negotiations with five members.  If you see the process of what is taking place here today and you see the amount of operators that are in this building at this moment.  I heard that the meeting was at nine o’clock [but] I’m not sure if this because she [Candelaria Saldivar] told me that the meeting had [been] postponed because I told the minister that I was going to find out where the meeting would have been and I would show up.  But I guess they didn’t really want me to be part of that process and actually what is taking place is conquer and divide and we are looking to separate operators from each other and I don‘t think that‘s fair.  As I said Mr. Roger Tun, Mr. Cruz, he get a group of operators together and actually it looked like they formed a board overnight and they are working for the interest or the benefit of themselves and this is not about one or two operators.  This is about the entire country and if we are going to operate like this and the minister will actually condone these nonsense.  The meeting on Friday, I saw when Mr. Froylan went to the minister to try to talk and he said Andy tell your members I noh di got no private meeting but with your president.  That’s what he said and I’m surprised now that two or three other operators are actually having meetings behind the other operators backs or unknowing to the president that is total disrespect again.”

Following today’s meeting at the Sports Council conference room it was decided that there will be no shutdown of the transportation industry.  Instead bus operators have agreed to demonstrate in Belize City this coming Sunday.