Govt issues public transport guidelines in Kampala

The State minister for Kampala, Mr Kabuye Kyofatogabye, has issued new guidelines geared towards streamlining public transport in the city.

Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre yesterday, Mr Kyofatogabye said all the measures are intended to create order and guarantee safety of passengers in Kampala Central Business District.

The guidelines state: all public transport brokers are banned from operating within bus terminals, taxi parks and on the streets; buses and taxis are strictly required to load and off-load passengers from designated terminals and parks, and all public transport booking offices, kiosks and desks operating outside the gazetted parks and bus terminals are banned.

Others are bus and taxi park owners are required to arrange a minimum number of guides to direct passengers around the parks, and owners of vehicle must observe rules and have been cautioned against operating without statutory requirements including passenger service vehicle (PSV) licence, route chart and Third Party Insurance.

This comes a week after the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Ms Misi Kabanda, visited the bus terminals and taxi parks and received complaints from public transport operators and passengers who said brokers were taking advantage of the passengers and extorting money from them.

The brokers are accused of hiking transport fares and disappearing with passengers’ luggage.

During yesterday’s media briefing, Mr Kyofatogabye said:  “Government has received a number of complaints from bus and taxi operators and the general public [regarding] brokers in public transport who manipulate innocent passengers and extort money from them. We had to come in with the guidelines to restore sanity in the city.”

He added: “Every kiosk around the streets of Ellen Road, Namirembe Road and Mackay Road should be removed by tomorrow (today). All brokers must quit with immediate effect.”

Mr Kyofatogabye directed the police and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to immediately start enforcing these measures.

The Commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety at the Ministry of Transport, Mr Winstone Katushabe, warned transport operators against hiking transport fares during the festival season.

“If transport operators have intentions to increase the transport fares in this festival season, they should formally write to the ministry for permission and in case this is done without following the formal process, the perpetrators will be arrested and charged,” Mr Katushabe said.

Summary of guidelines 

• All public transport brokers are banned from operating within bus terminals, taxi parks and on the streets.

• Buses and taxis are strictly required to load and off-load passengers from designated terminals and parks.

• All public transport booking offices, kiosks and desks operating outside the gazetted parks and bus terminals are banned.

• Bus and taxi park owners are required to arrange a minimum number of guides to direct passengers around the parks.

• Owners of vehicle must observe rules.

Owners of vehicles must have statutory requirements including passenger service vehicle (PSV) licence, route chart and Third Party insurance.