GoB approves bus fare hike; no shutdown

By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Apr. 22, 2026

   The situation was looking bleak up to last Friday, April 17, when members of the Belize Bus Association (BBA) saw a glimmer of hope that Cabinet might indeed provide some form of assistance in light of the financial/operational challenges they are facing due to surging fuel prices; and thus they unanimously agreed to hold back from a possible shutdown of operations on Monday of this week, allowing time, at Minister Louis Zabaneh’s request, for Cabinet to consider their situation at its regular Tuesday Cabinet meeting. The bus services across the country therefore continued as normal on Monday in anticipation of a favorable outcome of Cabinet’s deliberation on Tuesday.

   There have been few details of the discussion coming out of that meeting, but the good news for bus operators came in a Cabinet release yesterday, titled: “GOB Introduces Tiered Bus Service Fares to Maintain Reliable and Accessible Transportation.”

   It was a balancing act for Government, between the desperate demands of the independent bus operators and the challenge of increasing bus fares for commuters. 

   In approving a modest raise in bus fares, Cabinet came up with a new rate calculation method which the bus operators are satisfied with, and which will also afford commuters a choice through “affordable transportation options”.    

   The 16 independent bus operators welcomed the adjustment, and BBA president Philip Jones was moved to thank “the Prime Minister, thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet for their wisdom in granting the bus operators this lifeline with the price alignment.”

   Minister of Transport Hon. Louis Zabaneh, PhD, said that in “addressing the fact that fuel prices have gone up, Cabinet felt it proper to offer them these adjustments in prices per mile.” He explained, “We are going to sit with them and go through all the stops throughout the entire network and make sure that we’re in agreement on the fares according to the 18 cents and 20 cents. So that we know that at every village the buses will be stopping, that there is a fare that will be clear for the commuters and for the operators.”

   Under the new system, the independent bus owners may charge travelers up to 18 cents per mile for a regular service run, 20 cents per mile for an express run, and a new rate of up to 22 cents per mile for premium service, which would be optional. These per-mile rates will be rounded to the nearest 25 cents for the fare. Simple math tells commuters that a 50-mile journey from Belize City to Belmopan or Belize City to Orange Walk, which used to cost between $7.00 and $8.00, will now increase to $9.00 for regular service with intermittent stops, and $10.00 for express runs from municipal terminal to municipal terminal, and using the premium service would cost $11.00.

   The Cabinet release defines “premium service” as rides in buses of the quality introduced by Floralia a couple years ago. The criteria for “premium service” are that “buses are no older than seven years; must have air conditioning, comfortable and spacious bucket seats, free Wi-Fi; and operate non-stop between municipalities and major designated populated areas”.

   The new fares take effect on Friday, April 24, 2026, and will be published on or before midday Thursday, April 23, 2026, on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Constitution & Religious Affairs, Indigenous Affairs & Transportation, and through local media outlets.