By Eudes Ssekyondwa

The taxi engine idles by the roadside as Ali Kabuye calls out to passengers, hoping to fill the vacant seats quickly so that he can leave for the city centre.

This appears to be just another day in the life of the veteran Kampala taxi driver – until he speaks of the uncertainty that clouds his future.

After fifteen years at the wheel of his 14-seater taxi, financed through a loan he is still paying off, Kabuye fears his days as a driver in the Ugandan capital may be numbered.

The immediate trigger for his worries is Uganda’s newly announced transport policy, which bans individual private ownership of public transport in favour of organised associations or Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs).

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Announced by the government this May, the policy of barring individual ownership of public transport applies to all 14-seater passenger taxis and buses. The official line is that this is part of a broader plan to optimise the current system and create a more organised and regulated transport network.

Kabuye, and hundreds of individual taxi operators like him, are far from convinced the system will function without imperilling their livelihoods.

"We have our (cooperative) savings systems, and also loan guarantors specific to this business," he tells TRT Afrika. "The proposal to have us link up with societies and buy new cars is a ploy to put us out of business. New cars bought on credit will make us their employees."

The move aimed at streamlining public transport, particularly in Kampala and upcountry towns, is driven by official data that shows an average of 14 people dying every day in road accidents.

Kabuye feels a sense of déjà vu whenever he hears of this rationale. "They tried this before, even introducing special buses and electric vehicles, to put us out of business," he says.

Terminal under threat

The ceaseless hum of engines at Kampala’s busy Busega terminal masks the growing sense of insecurity within the sector since the government announced the policy change.

"The biggest challenge is favouritism," says transport operator Badru Ssentamu as he watches his staff guide passengers to their seats.  "You find that when someone influential gets into this business, they want to force everyone to join that company. These are all competitive challenges."

The scale of transformation is massive. About 400,000 vehicle owners in Kampala will be affected by the changes to the passenger vehicle ownership law.

For some operators, the new policy doesn’t mark a significant departure from their current operations.

"I started operating my transport business under the aegis of an association a long time ago. Although the journey has been tough, one has to acknowledge that it’s a convenient system. Many passengers appreciate it," says Peter Kagwa, chairman of Fly Express Entebbe-Kampala.

Kagwa leads a group that owns 250 vehicles under the Entebbe Expressway Company. "The government initiated the idea to improve our transport system. They invited everyone and trained those who went, but some didn’t take it seriously. I did, and it transformed my transport business," he tells TRT Afrika.

Structured operations

The association has strict standards designed to attract customers in a highly competitive market.

Drivers are required to undergo special training and display their identity cards while on duty. Uniformed assistants assist passengers in completing mandatory safety procedures before boarding.

This organised approach translates into passenger convenience. "These taxis are good because they don’t overload. Taxis that are not regulated ferry passengers beyond their load capacity, which can contribute to fatal accidents," says passenger Shamim Nalwadda while waiting to be frisked before boarding a vehicle.

The Ugandan government has been continuing routine inspections to ensure compliance with established procedures, including digital vehicle numbers and a code of conduct for drivers.

For those accustomed to private ownership, adapting to this new system will likely take time.

Others are waiting to see if this time around, the government will succeed in implementation. It’s a question that looms over Uganda's transport sector as it prepares for the most significant transformation in decades.