October 30, 2026 – As the landmark Public Transportation Investment Bill advances to the Senate for final review, Public Service Union (PSU) President Dean Flowers is publicly calling on the national government to release all undisclosed audit reports and independent asset valuations that formed the ownership framework for the newly restructured National Bus Company (NBC).
Flowers argued that the Belizean public, as the ultimate funder of the $20.5 million public earmark designated for rolling out new electric buses under the NBC venture, has an undeniable right to full visibility into how ownership stakes were negotiated between state representatives and private bus operators. He alleged that the submitted valuations for private operators’ existing fleets are severely bloated, pointing out that most of the private buses in question are aged, heavily depreciated, and in many cases unserviceable. According to the PSU leader, the proposed ownership split that grants private operators 50.5% of the new entity is deeply unfair, noting that the combined resale value of all the aging private buses would never come close to justifying such a large private stake.
Flowers emphasized that the public’s $20.5 million contribution alone should guarantee the government a minimum 75% controlling share of the NBC, rather than the proposed 49% minority stake. A controlling public ownership position, he explained, would allow the state to implement targeted fare subsidies for low-income and rural communities across the country, rather than directing the benefits of public investment to enrich private bus owners who have not contributed equivalent tangible value to the new venture. He directly challenged the transport minister to publish all unredacted auditor valuation documents so independent stakeholders can cross-examine the accuracy of the asset assessments, stating that the current lack of transparency is a disservice to Belizean taxpayers. This call comes as legislative scrutiny of the Public Transportation Investment Bill intensifies ahead of scheduled Senate debates.