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Coronavirus forces 350 buses off roads
Gaaga bus is one of the big bus companies that closed last year. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- A government source said the number of passenger buses has dropped to 869 from about 1,200 before the pandemic in 2020
- In the long run, the drop in the number of buses on the roads often leads to an increase in the transport fares.
More than 350 buses have left the public transport business after their companies suffered financial difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic, this publication has learnt.
A government source said the number of passenger buses has dropped to 869 from about 1,200 before the pandemic in 2020.
The source attributed the drop to financial problems that the bus companies suffered after the economy was locked down twice over Covid-19.
Gaaga bus is one of the big bus companies that closed last year.
The chairperson of United Bus Drivers Association, Mr Yunus Kiggundu, confirmed the drop in the number of passenger buses operating in the country, attributing it to high operational costs and shortage of passengers.
“The situation is tough on the road for buses. Many bus companies were unable to start business after months of the lockdown,” Mr Kiggundu said yesterday.
He said even the bus companies that managed to resume operations after the lockdown were faced with a shortage of passengers.
“The number of passengers dropped significantly and many buses were driven nearly empty. This greatly affected bus companies with fewer units in their fleets,” Mr Kiggundu said.
He also said the increase in fuel prices affected the running of the buses.
Mr Solomon Nsiimire, the chairperson of Uganda Bus Owners Association, was unwilling to talk to this publication when contacted.
However, a manager at Namayiba Bus Park said some of the bus companies that collapsed were owned by Members of Parliament who lost in the 2021 elections.
“New Members of Parliament from upcountry constituencies often establish bus companies that operate between Kampala and districts where their constituencies are located. They often sell the companies when they lose elections,” the manager, who declined to be named, said.
In the long run, the drop in the number of buses on the roads often leads to an increase in the transport fares.
The Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety also said the drop in the number of the buses on the roads has led to an increase of accidents and fatalities on the highways.
During the launch of the police report of 2022 recently, the acting director of Traffic and Road Safety, Mr Lawrence Nuwabiine, said the gap created by shortage of buses has been filled by newer models of Toyota Hiace (Drones), which carry fewer passengers, but speed.
“The number of buses was tremendously reduced after Covid and it left a gap in transport that was filled by the drones. …what does this one mean to road safety, the drones are fast speeding vehicles. These are monsters on the roads,” he said. “As a result, many people have been injured. Actually, 800 people have been injured,” he added.
Buses are the safest vehicles on Ugandan roads. Bus operators said the drop in the number of buses has also affected the business in many roadside towns where they make stops to crosscheck their route charts.
