Bus owners vow to continue with strike
Bus owners under the Uganda Bus Owners Association (UBOA) have vowed to continue with their ongoing strike following Kampala Capital City Authority’s (KCCA) decision to block buses from leaving the parks over unpaid fees.
According to KCCA, each bus is mandated to pay Shs2.4 million annually as user park fees which bus owners disclaim due to the state of business performance at the moment.
Yesterday, UBOA was forced to withdraw all their buses countrywide to attract government’s attention.
Speaking to KFM, UBOA chairperson, Mr. Solomon Nsiimire said until a consensus is reached, their strike will continue, explaining that this will affect Ugandans who have been travelling at lower fares.
“Most of the bus operators load from private bus terminals and every bus that exits that terminal pays Shs5,3000 per day. In a year, each bus pays over Shs19 million to the private park owners. So when you add the 2.4 million which KCCA wants, each bus would be paying over 24 million shillings per year. So we are saying this money is too much and we are not ready to add on any more money,” Nsiimire told KFM.