Towns require special buses
Dec 08, 2003
Engines can be placed at the front, the rear or under the floor etc. They are powered in the main by diesel fuel. We have standard, articulated double-deckers and 11/2 decker buses etc. All of these are not the best for all our terrain and arterials.
By M. K. Tibabiganya
Engines can be placed at the front, the rear or under the floor etc. They are powered in the main by diesel fuel. We have standard, articulated double-deckers and 11/2 decker buses etc. All of these are not the best for all our terrain and arterials.
All vehicles operating on international routes like the new regional coaches must be adopted to discharge passengers on the right hand side as well as on the left and must conform with the regulations of each country they traverse like Rwanda’s right- hand-drive and Uganda’s left-hand-drive.
This is to minimise the buses’ negative effects in the towns they criss-cross. Some roads which have bridges as low as four metres head-room are no go for double-deckers and where bends and round-abouts are sharp, only buses with smaller turning radii are ideal.
A town bus is designed for frequent stopping and starting and so are the multi-stage medium route buses, while long distance coaches run at faster, but safe speeds with governor controlled speeds to a maximum speed of 96 pkh. In Kampala, buses must have sufficient climbing capability.
The degree of comfort varies with the nature of service. In urban areas, the length of average trip is about 30 minutes, while on up-country, a single journey could take over eight hours. The latter certainly needs comfortable seats of sufficient sizes and head rests and since many rural bus terminals have no free toilets, the buses should come with incorporated toilet cubicles for their passengers.
In urban areas with high travel densities, double-deckers are cheaper and more efficient for traffic flows and low fares.
Their floor heights are sufficient and only one step is at the door, which makes easy and quick entry and exit for passengers. However, on long distance and tour buses, the seats must be raised so that the seated passengers can watch the scenery around the countryside. Some Kabandole buses have this attribute and may travel upcountry.
No standing passengers are allowed on such buses. There must be several doors on every urban bus which open and close under control. Long distance coaches can do with a door and must have some control.
They must have space for personal parcels, luggage, cycles and prams without charging the owners. At times, a Kampala worker returning from his home in Mbale with his popular “bamboo shoot†Malewa for his family consumption is charged for it contrary to the tradition of professional bus operators’ fare. Every bus must have an emergency exit contrary to the tradition of professional bus operators’ fare. Every bus must have an emergency exit in accessible location.
The country should ensure that the national fleet is standardised for obvious advantages of ready and cheap spares and the eventual mechanics specialisation. We should not repeat the mistakes of the 70’s, when we imported German M.A.N, Italian fiat, British Leyland and the Austrian .... etc. Currently, Isuzu coaches have reached acceptable fleet capacity and should be encouraged to climb to optimal capacity in order to reap the benefits of fleet standardisation.
Any operator with over 20 buses must employ a transport graduate to ensure maintenance of standards and safety. We need 450 buses for Kampala City and 2,000 buses for country routes. to be reviewed every after 10 years. A bus making five years continuous work or clocking 300,000km on our roads should undergo a compulsory major overhaul of its major systems. No bus beyond 12 years should be allowed on our roads.
Such vehicles must be converted into goods vehicles for the safety of our travellers. The microbuses must quit major roads and be relocated to feeder roads. I wish to thank Mikaili Sseppuya for his ...expose of the bus industry 40 years ago in the New Vision of September 10, 2003. There must be an annual fitness test for every bus by competent inspectors of the calibre of the police vehicle currently under our training at Kibuli Police Training School. Such engineers are able to diagnose hidden inadequacies in body work, uphostelry, fittings, steering, braking, engine power, lights and tyres and taking the right decisions.
It is time Uganda set up transport study facilities at the Ministry of works, the affiliate colleges of Kyambogo University and at the university itself for advanced transport curricular in transport technology, planning, operation and management of the five transport modes (air, pipeline, road, rail, water).
Engines can be placed at the front, the rear or under the floor etc. They are powered in the main by diesel fuel. We have standard, articulated double-deckers and 11/2 decker buses etc. All of these are not the best for all our terrain and arterials.
All vehicles operating on international routes like the new regional coaches must be adopted to discharge passengers on the right hand side as well as on the left and must conform with the regulations of each country they traverse like Rwanda’s right- hand-drive and Uganda’s left-hand-drive.
This is to minimise the buses’ negative effects in the towns they criss-cross. Some roads which have bridges as low as four metres head-room are no go for double-deckers and where bends and round-abouts are sharp, only buses with smaller turning radii are ideal.
A town bus is designed for frequent stopping and starting and so are the multi-stage medium route buses, while long distance coaches run at faster, but safe speeds with governor controlled speeds to a maximum speed of 96 pkh. In Kampala, buses must have sufficient climbing capability.
The degree of comfort varies with the nature of service. In urban areas, the length of average trip is about 30 minutes, while on up-country, a single journey could take over eight hours. The latter certainly needs comfortable seats of sufficient sizes and head rests and since many rural bus terminals have no free toilets, the buses should come with incorporated toilet cubicles for their passengers.
In urban areas with high travel densities, double-deckers are cheaper and more efficient for traffic flows and low fares.
Their floor heights are sufficient and only one step is at the door, which makes easy and quick entry and exit for passengers. However, on long distance and tour buses, the seats must be raised so that the seated passengers can watch the scenery around the countryside. Some Kabandole buses have this attribute and may travel upcountry.
No standing passengers are allowed on such buses. There must be several doors on every urban bus which open and close under control. Long distance coaches can do with a door and must have some control.
They must have space for personal parcels, luggage, cycles and prams without charging the owners. At times, a Kampala worker returning from his home in Mbale with his popular “bamboo shoot†Malewa for his family consumption is charged for it contrary to the tradition of professional bus operators’ fare. Every bus must have an emergency exit contrary to the tradition of professional bus operators’ fare. Every bus must have an emergency exit in accessible location.
The country should ensure that the national fleet is standardised for obvious advantages of ready and cheap spares and the eventual mechanics specialisation. We should not repeat the mistakes of the 70’s, when we imported German M.A.N, Italian fiat, British Leyland and the Austrian .... etc. Currently, Isuzu coaches have reached acceptable fleet capacity and should be encouraged to climb to optimal capacity in order to reap the benefits of fleet standardisation.
Any operator with over 20 buses must employ a transport graduate to ensure maintenance of standards and safety. We need 450 buses for Kampala City and 2,000 buses for country routes. to be reviewed every after 10 years. A bus making five years continuous work or clocking 300,000km on our roads should undergo a compulsory major overhaul of its major systems. No bus beyond 12 years should be allowed on our roads.
Such vehicles must be converted into goods vehicles for the safety of our travellers. The microbuses must quit major roads and be relocated to feeder roads. I wish to thank Mikaili Sseppuya for his ...expose of the bus industry 40 years ago in the New Vision of September 10, 2003. There must be an annual fitness test for every bus by competent inspectors of the calibre of the police vehicle currently under our training at Kibuli Police Training School. Such engineers are able to diagnose hidden inadequacies in body work, uphostelry, fittings, steering, braking, engine power, lights and tyres and taking the right decisions.
It is time Uganda set up transport study facilities at the Ministry of works, the affiliate colleges of Kyambogo University and at the university itself for advanced transport curricular in transport technology, planning, operation and management of the five transport modes (air, pipeline, road, rail, water).