Bus fares skyrocket ahead of Christmas holidays

A survey around Kampala City has shown that Bus Companies and Taxi touts plying upcountry routes have increased transport fares from Kampala to their respective destinations.

With hardly a week to Christmas, the Manager Global Coaches, Ahmed Makumbi Sande says, the increase is as a result of the significant upsurge in the number of travelers to upcountry.

For instance, Global Coaches at Bakuli Bus Terminal, passengers traveling to Mbarara district were paying Sh30, 000 up from the normal Sh20, 000.

 
At Gateway Bus Company in Bakuli Bus Terminal plying the Kampala-Mbarara route, passengers are paying Sh30, 000 and coming back is Sh20, 000. 

While at Kisenyi Bus Terminal, Link Buses were charging passengers traveling to Kabarole District Sh40, 000 from the normal charges of Sh25, 000.

And those traveling to Bundibugyo district by the same bus company paid Sh45, 000, up from Shs30, 000. Passengers heading to Kasese were paying Shs40, 000.

Every end of the year, a big number of people working in the city tend to go back to their upcountry homes to bond with relatives.

 
Passengers traveling from Kampala city to Ibanda district are being charged between Sh40000 and Sh50000 from the normal Sh25, 000 by Ibabu Coaches.  

Kampala to Rukungiri Sh40, 000, from Sh35, 000; Kampala to Kabale from Sh35, 000 to nearly Sh65,000 with operators citing few customers and few vehicles on the route.

Kampala to Masindi is now at Sh25,000 up from Sh20,000; Kampala, Mbarara to Ishaka, Bushenyi Sh35,000, Mbarara to Bwindi fluctuating between Shillings Sh65,000 and 70,000.

 

Muzafar Emejje, the Supervisor of Kkingo Coaches claims the Transport Licensing Board endorsed the changes to enable them to recover the rising cost of operations.

He says the new rates were agreed upon with the Transport Licensing Board last Friday. "The board allowed the increment on condition that drivers and turn men who have operated one way are allowed to rest during the return journey for all destinations above 300 Kilometers.

Wilber Bekalaze, a Supervisor with Kampala Hoppers Oxygen coaches, said they are charging Sh60, 000 for passengers traveling from Kampala to Bwera up from Sh40, 000.

Meanwhile, Sylvester Ssenkumbi, a taxi tout plying Kampala-Jinja route says they increased from Sh7000 to Sh8000 because of the jam along the highway.

  

While for passengers traveling from Kampala to Kaliro are being charged between Sh14, 000 up from Sh12, 000.

Brian Savanah of Savanah Coaches attributed the drastic increment in transport fares to absence of passengers traveling to Kampala city.

Savanah said they have increased transport fares because when we return to Kampala, the buses are almost empty with a few passengers yet we have to refuel and also pay taxes.

YY coaches have maintained their fares at sh35000 to Arua district and sh25000 to Lira through Karuma while sh35000 to Lira through Soroti district.

Gateway normally charges between sh20, 000 to sh25, 000 for passengers traveling from Kampala to Gulu, but the fares have hiked to sh30, 000. The price from Kampala to Kaabong has skyrocketed from sh50, 000 to  sh70000.

 
Abdu Latif, the booking officer of Gateway coaches said nowadays, the buses that go to Moroto are scheduled to leave at 8 pm, but by 6:30 pm, the bus is always full to capacity. "During this festive season, the people traveling are many."

He added "The prices vary because of the state of the roads. Some roads are bad that is why we are increasing the prices."  

He said the fare to Kotido has been increased from sh40, 000 to sh60 000 and sh35, 000 to Atiak, in Amuru district with only an increment of sh5000.

Baby Coach which ply from Kampala to Pachwach and Paida in Zombo district has also increased transport from sh30000 to sh40000.

 
Irene Ayomirwoth booked her ticket to Paida by 6 am with Baby coaches.  By 10 am, she was still in the waiting line for a bus that would depart at 11 am for Paida.

Ayomirwoth said you might end up missing a bus towards departure time because many people book it.

"The transport companies have increased transport, and I have to come early because the people traveling are many and if I came at 8:00 am, I could not get space. The bus gets full in minutes," Ayomirrwoth said.

Aloysius Odeya, a traveler was in the queue waiting for the Baby Coach bus to go to Zombo wondered why the buses hike prices during festival seasons.

"There is no reason why the taxi fares were increased. The buses go to the same destination whether in festive season or normal days," Odeya said.

Emmanuel, who had just booked his ticket to travel to Moroto with Gateway coach at sh45000 against the normal sh35000, agrees with the bus company's high fare, saying other items have also increased in the festive seasons.

 
"Considering the festive season, the prices of almost all other items and services have increased, increasing the transport fares here is really justifiable," he said.

He was surprised to find that the fare to Moroto was still at sh45000, because last year he paid sh50, 000 to go to the same destination.

Except With YY Coaches, which has maintained to keep the prices as the normal fares by 12 pm, yesterday, there were no buses.

David Kanini, the booking officer said YY coaches decided to maintain the same fares to serve their daily customers.

For Nile Star Coaches fares to West Nile, especially in Arua has been increased from sh35000 to sh40, 000.

 
Mory Kamba, KK coaches operation manager said their company decided to increase transport because of the increase in prices of tyres and fuel.

"The prices of tyres, fuel have all increased, we need money for these, without them, we can't go on roads," Kamba said.

By press time, KK coaches were charging sh45000 to Arua, sh35000 to Kiryadongo and sh50,000 to Koboko, while those traveling in the executive at sh65000.