Reckless bus drivers face lifetime bans, warn Police

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Police have warned long-distance bus companies sternly that reckless driving is responsible for the two recent crashes involving YY Coaches. The Police have, therefore, warned that drivers who endanger passengers’ lives face lifetime bans.

While addressing the media at Naguru Police Headquarters in Kampala on Monday, May 19, 2025, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said investigations into both incidents revealed glaring driver negligence.

“It is not going to be business as usual,” Kituuma said, “Drivers who recklessly take lives on the road will not be allowed back behind the wheel. They face lifetime bans from transporting passengers.”

The most serious of the recent crashes occurred on May 5 in Buikwe district, where a YY bus overturned and caught fire, killing four people — two adults and two juveniles. 

Thirty-nine others were injured, with some taken to Kawolo and St Charles Lwanga hospitals. DNA testing helped identify all burnt victims, and no one remains unaccounted for.

On May 12, another YY bus crash left six people injured. Preliminary findings again pointed to reckless driving.

In response, the Ministry of Works and Transport suspended YY Coaches’ operations and ordered an inspection of their fleet.

“The public must know that this impunity ends now,” Kituuma said. 

“We are working with the Ministry of Works to ensure such drivers are permanently barred from transporting passengers. Human life cannot be gambled with.”

He also warned other bus companies that they risk sanctions if they fail to discipline or screen their drivers.

“The era of hit-and-run drivers returning to work the next day is over,” he added.