33 bus drivers banned

By John Agaba

A total of 33 bus drivers have been banned from driving any passenger service vehicle after a series of hearings at the Transport Licensing Board determined that they were unfit and cannot continue to be entrusted with peoples lives.  

The 33 are part of the larger number of 94 drivers initially suspended from driving passenger service vehicles. This after they submitted applications for consideration of bus badges with bio data. 

After a series of appeals and hearings at the TLB offices in Kampala last week, 33 were shown a red card. The 61 have been pardoned.

“These (33) have been involved in more than one road accident. Their data shows a history of accidents. So, we can’t allow them on our roads,” Winston Katushabe, TLB’s secretary, said Tuesday.
 
He said the 61 who have been pardoned had been involved in only one traffic accident in their driving history.

“They will have to go for refresher driving lessons and be re-tested if they are to be given a badge and entrusted with passengers’ lives again,” Katushabe said.

The move, first launched by transport minister Abraham Byandala on June 6 to reduce traffic accidents in the country, is going slow but sure, Katushabe said.

So far, over 1246 drivers have submitted in their data to Police for vetting to receive the coveted bus badges and 880 drivers have been cleared to receive the badges. TLB said Tuesday they have printed 706 and issued 420 badges.

“There are 117 drivers the Police haven’t yet vetted. But these are foreign drivers. They have to first get their details from their countries,” Katushabe said.

The Board had given all bus drivers a deadline of September 30 to acquire the badges, after which it would be criminal for any bus driver to take passengers without a badge.

Katushabe explained the deadline was moved to November 1 due to unexpected technicalities. 


Road accidents continue to be a challenge in Uganda. According to the 2013 Annual Crime and Traffic Report, reckless driving caused a total of 1,252 fatalities.  


Merion Tibabiganya, a transport consultant at Kampala Capital City Authority, said issuance of bus badges will monitor the conduct of the drivers “because if they don’t follow the traffic rules, the badge could be revoked.”
 
The issuance of badges is provided for under section 45 of the Traffic and Road Safety Act.