School vehicles to have uniform colour to enhance visibility, safety of learners
The Minister also directed that “all drivers of vehicles, which will be carrying learners in mass form, will be cleared by the Ministry for Works and Transport and such drivers will possess government badges. Anybody who will be found moving learners in any form and he does not have clearance or a badge from the Ministry of Works and Transport will be apprehended.”
The colour yellow is recognised internationally for school buses, aligning with global best practices for child transport safety. It helps in alerting other road users to exercise caution around school transport vehicles.
KAMPALA - All vehicles used in the transportation of learners across the country will have a uniform colour to enhance visibility and ensure the safety of learners, the works and transport ministry has declared.
Julius Maganda Wandera, the Minister of State for Transport, said they will be coming up with a uniform colour for all school vehicles to adopt in a move aimed at improving the safety of school transport.
“The Government will be moving to strictly enforce the global standards for schools and vehicle identification, especially for vehicles that will be holding a license or owned by schools. Such vehicles will have a universal and global colour, which will be easily identifiable such that when someone views the vehicle from far, they can identify it as a school bus or van,” Maganda said while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre on Friday, July 17.
He revealed that this regulation will apply across board to kindergartens, universal education institutions, universities and private schools.
The Minister also directed that “all drivers of vehicles, which will be carrying learners in mass form, will be cleared by the Ministry for Works and Transport and such drivers will possess government badges. Anybody who will be found moving learners in any form and he does not have clearance or a badge from the Ministry of Works and Transport will be apprehended.”
Maganda also announced that there will be enforcement of mandatory motor vehicle inspection services on all vehicles transporting learners.
“Before any school trip commences, the motor vehicle must undergo strict inspection to verify its mechanical state. The primary clearance will be handled by the Ministry of Works and Transport, and for upcountry schools with immediate need for transport, the inspection must be conducted by the Inspectorate of Motor Vehicles at the respective Regional levels,” Maganda stated.
He explained that the traffic police will be mandated to give such clearance with a stamp or sticker indicating the vehicle is in a safe state for travel.
He added, “The inter-ministerial committee that will be instituted by the Minister of Education shall develop further guidelines specifically regarding the licensing of vehicles involved in the transportation of learners while the Ministry of Education and Sports will also be overseeing these directives.”
Maganda said the Ministry of Works and Transport, in conjunction with the Uganda Police Force Directorate of Traffic, will be directly responsible for enforcement of the regulations.
In 2017, the Kenyan government passed a law mandating that all school buses be painted yellow. This decision was part of the Traffic Amendment Bill 2016, which aimed at improving the safety of school transport. The law specifies that the buses must also display the school's name in black lettering.
Yellow is chosen for its high visibility. Studies show that yellow objects are more easily seen by pedestrians and other drivers, making it safer for children boarding and alighting from buses.
The colour yellow is recognised internationally for school buses, aligning with global best practices for child transport safety. It helps in alerting other road users to exercise caution around school transport vehicles.