The government issued 76,800 fuel vouchers to public bus operators this year, a subsidy Prime Minister Gaston Browne says prevented widespread fare increases amid rising global fuel costs. The measure formed a key part of the cost-of-living relief outlined in Thursday’s presentation of the 2026 national budget.
Browne told Parliament that 198 bus operators benefited from the voucher system between January and October 2025, helping to keep transportation affordable for thousands of commuters who rely on the public bus network daily. He said the subsidy programme cost the government around $1.1 million, but was necessary to stabilize one of the most sensitive parts of household spending.
“This support made it possible to avoid raising bus fares, even as international fuel prices climbed,” Browne said, noting that transportation costs have a direct impact on schoolchildren, workers, seniors and low-income families. By keeping fares unchanged, the government aimed to prevent additional financial pressure on households already coping with elevated food and utility prices.
The Prime Minister linked the initiative to the broader suite of cost-of-living measures in the budget, including the suspension of the 42 percent Common External Tariff on selected essential food imports, continued subsidies on LPG and electricity, and the doubling of the Food Voucher Programme in 2026.
He said the government is committed to ensuring that everyday essentials — including transportation — remain within reach for vulnerable households. Nearly 7,000 pensioners and more than 1,600 vulnerable families currently receive direct assistance through various social programmes that will continue or expand next year.
Browne added that keeping fares stable helped support economic recovery by ensuring workers and students could travel reliably without added cost. He said the government will continue working with transport associations to evaluate further measures to support the sector as fuel prices fluctuate.
Budget debate continues next week.
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📢 PM’s ‘Relief’ Measures: A Subsidy for Operators, A Burden for Us!
PM Browne wants us to be grateful for the 76,800 fuel vouchers to stop a fare hike. But let’s be real—commuters aren’t celebrating because we don’t feel any real savings.
🚌 The Bus Subsidy: A Handout, Not Household Relief
High Fares Are Still High: We don’t feel “relief” because fares were already too expensive compared to our low wages. Keeping high fares stable is not a saving. It’s just a continued high expense.
It’s a Handout for Operators: This $1.1 million subsidy seems more like a lifeline for the 198 bus owners than a benefit for us. Operators are already eligible for duty-free concessions on importing their buses (up to the first EC$60,000.00 of the vehicle’s cost) and can apply for small business incentives on parts. Why are we giving them both fuel subsidies and vehicle tax breaks if the savings don’t reach the commuter?
💡 The Utility Claims: A ‘Subsidy’ That Doesn’t Stick
The Prime Minister claims he’s holding the line on LPG and electricity subsidies, but that’s not what we see on our monthly statements:
The Silent Hike: The biggest pain point is the sneak attack from elsewhere! While the government talks about subsidies, they silently let the Fuel Variation Charge (FVC) spike on our electricity bills. Many of us didn’t even know it was coming until the bills arrived—they spiked without warning!
Ineffective Relief: If the government is truly subsidizing utilities, the high, unannounced increases in the FVC prove that those “continued subsidies” are either ineffective or transparently being offset by other costs. We’re paying more for power, period.
Bottom Line: Government is giving with one hand (the bus subsidy for operators) while quietly taking much more with the other (high utility costs from the FVC). We need real cuts, not just frozen high prices, to truly ease the cost-of-living crisis. ⛽ Stop Saying Utilities Are Lower!
This guy doesn’t care when and where he tells lies. There was no loss to the government because it’s a PVD initiative. Didn’t he and his gang of accomplices benefit more than the $1.1 million figure that he pulled out of nowhere in their dirty, thiefing, vehicle scheme? He couldn’t even truthfully identify a single social program that he introduced, that benefitted anyone other than his supporters; especially the affluent ones. The guy lies consistently but is very inconsistent with his lies.
Lies are dangerous period, but someone who covers up one lie with another, is as dangerous as they get.
Their trick is, is that they hope you will forget the first lie. Classic snake oil salesman trick, and we have a PM who is the best snake oil sales-man in all of Antigua, and he’s sitting on the top.
Y’all are been took folks..waw!
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