May 28, 2026 — Belize’s government-led electric bus pilot initiative has drawn to a close without a single member of the Belize Bus Association (BBA) having the opportunity to test or operate the new electric vehicles. Now, the association is pushing for a seat at the table in the project’s next phase, but their request comes after the pilot program has already concluded, leaving their demand facing an uncertain outcome.
Shortly before Minister of Transport Dr. Louis Zabaneh spoke to reporters on Wednesday, the BBA released an official letter laying out their position. The association is calling for the pilot electric buses to be rotated onto routes currently managed by BBA operators, arguing that a genuine nationwide transition to electric public transit cannot happen if independent operators are locked out of hands-on testing of the new technology.
The BBA’s letter emphasizes that asking independent bus operators to commit to large-scale investments in electric vehicles, and make long-term strategic decisions about the future of their businesses, without first gaining direct experience operating the buses, is an unrealistic expectation. The association stresses that it is not seeking any form of preferential treatment, but rather demanding equal and meaningful inclusion in the government’s electric bus rollout plans.
Minister Zabaneh pushed back on the request in his remarks to local outlet News 5, confirming that the pilot initiative has been fully completed, and no additional electric buses will be allocated through that specific program. He outlined only two available paths forward for BBA members who want to integrate electric buses into their operations: either merge their operations into the state-run National Bus Company (NBC), or organize independently as a private entity and purchase their own electric buses directly.
Zabaneh clarified that while the Ministry of Transport is willing to share all data and lessons learned from the completed pilot program with independent operators, the electric buses already owned by the NBC are reserved exclusively for use on NBC-managed routes. “They would have to, as independent operators, organise, form a company and procure e-buses,” the minister explained.
The minister also noted that growing numbers of BBA members have already chosen to join the NBC, drawn by the advantages of operating under the national entity. Just recently, three additional independent operators made the decision to align with the NBC. “I am pleased to share with you that the last operator from the south that did not join has now joined, and two operators from the north have now applied to join the National Bus Company,” Zabaneh announced.