Transport in Belize
Encyclopedia
Public transportation
Most Belizeans travel the country using publicPublic
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
buses as their primary form of transportation. In the larger towns and cities, such as Belize City
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
or Belmopan
Belmopan
Belmopan , estimated population 20,000 is the capital city of Belize.Belmopan is located at , at an altitude of 76 metres above sea level. Belmopan was constructed just to the east of Belize River, inland from the former capital, the port of Belize City, after that city's near destruction by...
, there are bus terminals
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
. In smaller places, there are bus stops. However, the most common way of catching a bus is by flagging it down on the road. On the Northern and Western Highways, bus service is more frequent than on smaller highways and other roads. In some locations, like small towns, buses may run only once a day. Buses are classified as either Regular runs (usual prices) or Express runs (faster, for slightly higher prices). Some Belizeans prefer riding bikes due to traffic, or the time of day.
Many buses are Greyhounds or school buses, although newer express buses travel the two main highways.
A new zoning system was implemented on Sunday, October 19, 2008. Accordingly, the country is divided into zones: Northern (highway/rural), Southern (highway/rural), Western (highway/rural).
Bus providers are restricted to assigned zones:
- Buses that can operate on the highway in the Southern Zone are: James Bus Line, Usher Bus Line, G-Line Service.
- Buses that can operate in the rural areas of the Southern Zone are: Chen Bus Line, Yascal Bus Line, Smith Bus Line, Richie Bus Line, Martinez Bus Line, Williams Bus Line, Radiance Ritchie Bus Line, Polanco Bus Line.
- Buses that can operate on the highway in the Western Zone are: Guerra’s Bus Service, D and E, Shaw Bus Service, Belize Bus Owner’s Cooperatives (B.B.O.C.).
- There was no change in the runs in the Western Zone’s rural area at this time.The early run starts at three in the morning leaving Benque Viejo Town going toward Belize, and the last run leaving Belize City terminal heading towards Benque Viejo town leaves at nine pm. Hence,the time of the runs changes on weekend from every half-an-hour to an hour. The Northern Zone bus runs continue as they are at this time, with the exception of the Ladyville Shuttle Service which will now be provided by Skai’s Bus Line, Flores Bus Service and Ramos Bus Service.
Roads
- total: 3,007 km
- country comparison to the world: 167
- paved: 575 km
- unpaved: 2,432 km (2006)
Belize has four major asphalt-paved two-lane roads: the Hummingbird Highway
Hummingbird Highway
The Hummingbird Highway is one of the four major highways in Belize. It connects the Western Highway outside of Belmopan, Cayo District with the Southern Highway outside of Dangriga, Stann Creek District. It partially follows, and sometimes uses the infrastructure of, the former Stann Creek Railway...
, Southern Highway
Southern Highway
In Belize, the Southern Highway takes up where the Hummingbird Highway ends and runs from Dangriga to Punta Gorda. It is entirely paved, with the completion of a 10-mile segment between Golden Stream and Big Falls circa 2007-08. The Southern Highway provides important access to a number of Mayan...
, Western Highway
Western Highway, Belize
The Western Highway is one of four main highways in Belize. It originates in Belize City, runs west through Hattieville, Belize Zoo, the capital city of Belmopan , San Ignacio Cayo, San José Succotz and terminates at the Guatemalan border at Benque Viejo...
, Northern Highway
Northern Highway, Belize
The Northern Highway in Belize joins Belize City through Orange Walk Town and Corozal Town with the Mexican border at the state of Quintana Roo. Crude side-roads suitable only for over-land vehicles connect to such localities as Aguas Turbias, on the corner where Belize, Mexico and Guatemala...
. The remaining roads are unpaved, rough and in poor condition. A 9-mile stretch of the Southern Highway near Big Falls is unpaved as well. Driving is on the right-hand side of the road, as in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Waterways
- 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 72
Unpaved runways
- total: 40
- 8,000 to 10,000 ft (2,438 to 3,047 m): 1
- 3,000 to 5,000 ft (914 to 1,523 m): 12
- under 3,000 ft (914 m): 27 (2008)
As of 2008, an estimated 44 airports and airstrips were in operation. The international airport is Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport is an airport that serves Belize's largest city, Belize City. It was named for politician Phillip Stanley Wilberforce Goldson, who died in 2001....
in Ladyville
Ladyville
Ladyville is a village in the Belize District and the largest in the nation of Belize, 8 miles to the north west of Belize City. The Northern Highway, one of the main highways that connect the Belize District to the north of the country, runs through the village.-History:Although originally a...
, outside of Belize City
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
. Currently, the international airport is served by American, Continental, Delta, TACA and US Airways, along with local airlines Maya Island and Tropic. A runway expansion program set to be completed in 2007 may allow larger aircraft to land and may encourage new direct or nonstop service from Europe and Canada. Also in Belize City is the Municipal Airport.
Two airlines, Tropic Air
Tropic Air
Founded in 1979 by John Greif III with just a single airplane and two employees, Tropic has steadilygrown to become the largest and most experienced airline in Belize...
and Maya Island Air
Maya Island Air
Maya Island Air is an airline based in Belize City, Belize. It operates regular scheduled services to 12 destinations in Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Its main base is Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport....
, provide frequent service around Belize. In most cases, both airlines have service from the international airport, Philip S. W. Goldson, in Ladyville 9 miles north of Belize City, and from the Belize City Municipal Airport in the city, to San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Dangriga, Placencia, Punta Gorda, and to Flores in Guatemala, and one airline serves Savannah at Big Creek. There is also service from San Pedro to Sarteneja and to Corozal Town. The airlines typically fly small single-engine equipment, such as the Cessna Caravan.
Railways
Currently, Belize does not offer any rail transport. In 1913, Stann Creek Railway operated between DangrigaDangriga
Dangriga, formerly known as Stann Creek Town, is a town in southern Belize, located on the Caribbean coast at the mouth of Stann Creek. It is the capital of Belize's Stann Creek District and also the largest town in southern Belize...
and Middlesex Estate and was abandoned in 1937 leaving some railway bridges along the Hummingbird Highway
Hummingbird Highway
The Hummingbird Highway is one of the four major highways in Belize. It connects the Western Highway outside of Belmopan, Cayo District with the Southern Highway outside of Dangriga, Stann Creek District. It partially follows, and sometimes uses the infrastructure of, the former Stann Creek Railway...
.
The FERISTSA
FERISTSA
FERISTSA was the name of a proposed USD $3 billion privately owned commercial railroad going from the Panama Canal Railway Company through the entire length of Central America, linking with Mexico's rail system at the Guatemala border, and thus to the United States of America.- Description :The...
Railway was proposed to connect Mexico with Panama; if built, it might bypass Belize unless a branch were built.