On November 6, 2026, the Belize Bus Association (BBA) issued an official public statement pushing back against widespread misperceptions that it had attempted to block the passage of the landmark Public Transportation Investment Bill, days after the upper legislative chamber voted to approve the legislation that grants the state-run National Bus Company (NBC) exclusive operating rights to the country’s high-traffic Southern Corridor.\n\nBBA president Froylan Gilharry emphasized that the association’s advocacy efforts in the lead-up to the Senate’s final vote were never designed to derail the proposed law, but rather to push for targeted, practical amendments that would guarantee both independent private bus operators and the NBC are explicitly integrated into every provision of the new regulatory framework. Gilharry noted that the group’s core demands centered on embedding clearer operational guidelines, mandatory public transparency for all public transit spending, and independent third-party financial oversight mechanisms into the bill, to safeguard the long-term viability of every stakeholder in Belize’s public transport ecosystem, rather than sidelining smaller independent operators.\n\nThe clarification comes 24 hours after the BBA submitted a formal written request to the Senate on November 5, asking for a private closed-door consultation session ahead of the scheduled final vote, to walk legislators through a detailed list of unaddressed concerns the association said would create unfair market disparities if left unaddressed. The Senate formally rejected the request for the closed-door meeting, proceeding to vote on and pass the bill in full during its scheduled public session, with the final text confirming the NBC’s exclusive operational rights to the high-demand Southern Corridor transit route.\n\nGilharry also forcefully refuted circulating claims that the BBA’s advocacy position was driven by partisan political affiliations, stressing that the association’s entire campaign was rooted in protecting the financial sustainability of local bus operators and the quality, affordability, and accessibility of transit services for millions of daily commuters across Belize. He added that the BBA will not halt its engagement with government regulatory bodies, transport officials, and other industry stakeholders in the coming weeks, as it finalizes a comprehensive alternate transportation policy proposal and continues to push for all private independent operators to receive the same operational subsidies, infrastructure support, and regulatory benefits that are currently earmarked exclusively for the NBC under the newly passed bill.