UNDP hosts E-Mobility Conference in Belmopan

Ministry to transition from current highway buses to electric-power by end of 2027

BELMOPAN, Thurs. May 28, 2026

   The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Belize on Wednesday hosted an E-Mobility Data Insights and Stakeholder Engagement Conference in Belmopan, where officials shared findings from Belize’s two-year electric bus pilot project.

   The initiative was launched in July 2024 through a partnership between the UNDP; the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, Logistics and E-Governance; the Department of Transport under the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Transport; and the Belize City Council, with funding support from the European Union. As part of the pilot project, five electric buses were introduced into Belize’s public transportation system, with two operating within Belize City and three servicing highway routes. The project was designed to evaluate the viability of electric buses in Belize’s transportation sector.

   During Wednesday’s conference, stakeholders were presented with data gathered throughout the pilot period. According to Minister of Transport, Hon. Dr. Louis Zabaneh, the results indicate that electric buses are both financially and environmentally beneficial over the long term. “Electric buses, and the operating cost, in particular with respect to energy use, is only about 20% of a diesel bus. So, there’s a significant savings that you’d have when using an electric bus. On the other hand, the acquisition cost of the bus is about two to three times the cost of a diesel bus. So you have to look at it on the whole life of the bus, which is called the total cost of ownership. Now that we have better technologies in the batteries, it is now where the total cost of the electric bus, including cost of acquisition all the way through the end of the life of the bus, the total cost of the electric bus is lower than that of a diesel bus,” Zabaneh said.

   Officials also noted that the pilot project demonstrated the technical reliability of electric buses while supporting Belize’s broader efforts to reduce emissions and modernize the country’s public transportation system. The Ministry of Transport says it hopes to transition from all fuel-based highway buses in Belize to electric-powered vehicles by the end of 2027.