A motorbike can save you time, money
“A substantial number of people operating in Kampala city centre have for long resorted cycling to overcome the current traffic jam, mainly during peak hours,” said Mugerwa.
A motorbike can save you time, money
________________
The dynamics of commuting to and from work in Kampala are undergoing a silent but significant transformation.
While a substantial number of people have turned to walking or cycling to escape peak-hour gridlock and rising fuel costs, others are finding themselves caught between heavy traffic and aggressive enforcement by city authorities.
For those using standard motorcycles for private travel, the journey has become a legal minefield.
However, the system remains a mess for both enforcement officers and users themselves, as private riders are often mistaken for commercial ones and vice versa.
This confusion has forced motorists to change their habits, as some now park their cars by city outskirts and board the commuter train (Kayoola) where rail lines are active, while others rely on taxis or boda-bodas depending on their movement schedules.
However, a new trend is emerging as the Passola bike that attracts less attention of enforcement unless at extreme cases.
Private riders using motorcycles that resemble the traditional boda-bodas are frequently intercepted by Traffic Police and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) enforcement.
They are often harassed or fined for non-compliance with Public Service Vehicle (PSV) requirements, among others, despite not being commercial operators.
Efforts by the Ministry of Works and Transport to differentiate commercial bikes from private ones through distinct license plates have seen limited success.
He said this was introduced to differentiate those using the two-wheel motorcycles for commercial purposes and those for personal or private use.
When the purpose for use of the motorcycle changes, the owner lives to notify the chief licensing officer to officially effect the changes.
Passola bikes look distinct from traditional motorcycles used for commercial boda-bodas that are witchhunded by numerous enforcement operatives, mainly in Kampala.
City authorities, Traffic Police, and other undercover operatives rarely stop Passola riders, unlike standard motorcycle owners who are constantly targeted and harassed under the assumption that they are operating illegal commercial transport.
Joseph Mugerwa, a city businessman on Buron Street in Kampala Cerntral Business District, says since he resorted to a Passola bike, he has never been interfered by either traffic police and KCCA enforcement.
He said the government's system of using different colored license plates (white for commercial, yellow for private) is failing. Passola riders bypass this administrative mess entirely through the bike's unique appearance.
“A substantial number of people operating in Kampala city centre have for long resorted cycling to overcome the current traffic jam, mainly during peak hours,” said Mugerwa.
A Passola is both a 2-stroke scooter soft bike of 50 C.c and a 4-stroke engine of 100 and above engine capacity, costing from an average of Sh2.5m and above and is designed for easy urban commuting, often featuring.
Faisal Lwasa, a dealer in used motorcycle spare parts in Ndeba, says Passolas being powered by small engine capacities (ranging from 2-stroke 50cc to 4-stroke 100cc+ models) make them highly economical to run amid rising fuel costs.
“They cost effectiveness of passolas, with some starting at an average of Shs 2.5m to sh3m for a used one, has made the affordable to ordinary people,” said Lwasa.
He said Passolas are lighter in weight than standard motorcycles and very fast for urban commuting.
Patrick Lwasa, a dealer in a variety of used bikes in Ndeba in Kampala, says Passola models on the local market include those from the early 1980s and the recent models from Honda and Yamaha.
He says a Passola is lighter in weight compared to other bikes, economical in fuel consumption by virtue of its small engine capacity and very fast on the road.
Moses Mugerwa, a city businessman, says he used to own a standard motorcycle brand commonly used for boda-boda business.
He said he was frequently stopped by enforcement officers who assumed he was a commercial boda-boda operator.
“I move freely on the road with less fear of traffic and KCCA enforcement," Mugerwa says.
He says this is mainly because the Passola’s design is distinct from the typical commercial boda-bodas motorcycle,
"It thrives as a stealth private transport option, avoiding the unwanted attention of city authorities while slicing through Kampala’s notorious traffic," he said.