All upcountry buses should park in the city suburbs

Dec 17, 2010

KAMPALA City Council is said to have opened a new bus park on Namirembe Road to ease congestion. This is a mere quick fix, perhaps pushed by some other factors.

KAMPALA City Council is said to have opened a new bus park on Namirembe Road to ease congestion. This is a mere quick fix, perhaps pushed by some other factors.

The real solution lies in getting all upcountry buses out of the city centre. It is in the interest of everybody, including the passengers. Have you ever entered Kampala from any route at 7:00pm? A bus takes two hours from Busega to Namirembe bus terminal.

Two full hours! As we hope and pray for a smarter leadership to rethink public commuter services in the city, in the short-run, all bus terminals, local or international, should get out the city centre. Those plying the eastern route and Kenya should stop at Namanve and those on the northern route and Sudan should stop stop in Kawanda.

The buses on the south-western route, Rwanda and Burundi: stop at Maya. Those on the Hoima route should stop at Nansana while those for Fort Portal and Mubende should stop at Bulenga.

From each of these terminals, passengers can connect to the city centre by other means—personal vehicles, taxis or boda-bodas. Planes stop at Entebbe Airport and never reach Kampala. Passengers connect to and from the airport by other means.

The current congestion and jam will not ease unless measures as we suggest here are taken in the short-run. It is worsened by indisciplined drivers who go roaming around the city in huge buses.

A bus driver with a home in Kireka, will drop passengers from Mutukula at Nakivubo and join the Kampala jam to carry charcoal and matooke to his home or homes around town!

Amon B. Mbekiza








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