Buses, signs of a new order in Uganda?

By Kalungi Kabuye

Incredibly, many Ugandans are afraid of the coming of buses to Kampala. So much so that when it was announced that the Easy Pioneer buses were in Mombasa, the social network (facebook and twitter) came alive with protests.

 “I won’t board them, never,” wrote one.

“I hate buses, and the only time I boarded one was when going to Kabale to visit my ex-boyfriends family,” wrote another. “Every time I see a bus reminds me of the cheating bastard.”

“Buses are dirty and the people in them are dirty,” yet another one wrote, “and besides, they are always having accidents and killing people.”

“Won’t they live us a few boda bodas and taxis, at least? We are used to those,” was another’s cry.

This all just goes to show just how long it has been since there was any order in Ugandan society. A whole generation has grown up in the senseless, disorderly society that Uganda has become; why then would a person be so afraid of buses, which we hope should bring about the first semblance of order in our society?

The argument that every functioning, modern city in the world has a bus transport system did not wash. Which brings us to an amazing conclusion, that Ugandans are actually afraid of order. We are so used to the chaos that is Ugandan society that we are comfortable with it.

But having a regular, functioning bus service could bring about the first positive, orderly changes in our society. These are some of the ways:

-          More reliable time keeping: the worst part of Kampala taxis is they wait to fill up with passengers before going anywhere. They can do this three or four times before you get to your destination, which means you can spend an hour over a distance that should have taken 10 minutes. With the bus, you can actually estimate your journey’s duration, and get to work, or anywhere, on time, no more waiting for it to fill up. Can you imagine a Uganda where people actually keep time?

-          Real ‘stages’: taxis have their stages, which means where they gather and load passengers. This may be anywhere they find convenient, from the middle of the road to just after a busy junction, creating havoc for other drivers. But buses will have real, established stages which will not create chaos. So Ugandans will know that to get a bus, they will have to be at a certain place, not just anywhere a taxi can stop. And walking a little distance to get to the stage won’t hurt, either

-          No more ‘maaso awo ssebo’: the usual way taxi passengers disembark is by shouting to the driver ‘maaso awo’, literally meaning ‘I get off there’, which causes the driver to stop anywhere, and anyhow. This time they will have to stop at ‘real stages’ (see above), and that will add to discipline and order.

-          Fewer traffic jams with bus lanes: most of the traffic jams in Kampala are caused by taxi drivers, who do not respect driving lanes, and will try and overtake other cars at a glimpse of congestion, creating more lanes and making it even worse. With the creation of bus lanes, buses should be able to get to their destinations easily. Hopefully this also teach other Ugandan drivers more discipline.

-          Cheaper fares: buses cost less that taxis, and they will not raise fares because it is raining or there is a traffic jam. With bus fares at a constant, you can budget for your transport and keep to it, teaching Ugandans some financial discipline. You can also pay for a weekly or monthly ticket, again a boost to our financial planning.

-          Less traffic congestion: with buses you don’t have to drive everywhere you go, as Ugandans are wont to do. You can park in Ntinda, for example, take a bus to work, and afterwards take a bus back to Ntinda, pick up your car and go home. So fewer cars in central Kampala, less congestion, and fewer traffic jams. And of course car owners will save on fuel, and maintenance.

-          Ugandan taxis are notoriously dirty, as are their drivers and conductors. With buses people will not be afraid of catching some dirty disease, so more people will use them rather than drive.

-          Can you imagine a Kampala without taxi conductors yelling for passengers? No more ‘omu yeka agenda’. That will really be bliss

-          Less speeding and thus fewer accidents: buses will not be racing each other to get passengers so they will not need to drive fast.

-          Safety: to those going out till late at night, assuming the buses will offer 24-hour services, getting home should be a lot safer, and cheaper. No more boda bodas that can stop at the first dark patch and rob you clean.

There are a thousand more reasons why we should use buses, but the picture of Ugandan lining up to board a bus will go a long way in making them realise that for society to develop, some order is needed. Can’t wait for them to start operation..