To & from Belize City

Belize City is the hub of the country's fairly extensive bus network, so there's service to most regions and to the Guatemalan and Mexican borders. Novelo's and its subsidiaries, Northern Transport and Southern Transport, formerly were the dominant carriers in the country, but Novelo's, following a series of financial problems, shut down operations in late 2005. Smaller carriers, of which there are nearly 100 around the country, scrambled to replace service. The country was divided into three zones—northern, western, and southern bus routes—with Belize City as the hub. The Novelo's terminal on West Collet Canal in Belize City reopened for use by other bus companies, and now most bus lines use this terminal. Bus terminals in Belmopan and Corozal also reopened. However, in some other destinations, the Novelo's terminals did not reopen, and bus companies have established small offices. The former owners of Novelo's have emerged as the operators of a new bus company, National Transport, which now covers many of the same routes as the old Novelo's line. In addition, a number of other regional companies, including Tillett's, James Bus Line, and Belize Bus, a drivers' co-op, also provide service on the Northern, Western, and Southern highways. The upshot is that on most routes there is again frequent service, although it is offered by many different bus lines, with schedules that change frequently.

For those going to Flores, Guatemala, or Chetumal, Mexico, two Guatemalan bus lines, Linea Dorada and San Juan, have daily service from the Marine Terminal near the Swing Bridge.

Bus Contacts

Information

Belize City Main Bus Terminal (W. Collet Canal, Belize City).

Within Belize City

There's no point-to-point bus service within Belize City, but local nonexpress buses will stop and drop off most anywhere on the standard route. For example, if you're going from West Collet Canal downtown to Brodie's supermarket on the Northern Highway just north of downtown, you can be dropped off at or near Brodie's.