The fleets of buses owned by Gaagaa, Link, Baby coach and Gateway bus companies have been ordered to undergo mandatory vehicle inspection in order to curb the recent spate of road carnage that has caused a wave of public concern and calls for government intervention.
The directive was revealed in a letter obtained by Business Focus, written by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and Transport, addressed to SGS. The letter was a request for SGS to keep its inspection stations in Namanve, Kawanda, Mbale, Gulu and Mbarara open over the weekend of the 9th and 10th of June in order for buses to be inspected by Monday 11th June 2018.
The move to inspect these buses comes in light of a Gaagaa bus accident on the 25th of May that left 22 dead, and many more injured.
According to a statement from the Office of The Prime Minister, initial investigations shows that over-speeding and the poor mechanical condition of the buses are the primary causes of the road accidents, highlighting the dangers that old, faulty vehicles pose to public safety.
In 2015, SGS, a private company, was contracted by the Government of Uganda to carry out mandatory vehicle inspection and have since built seven inspection stations around the country. When contacted for a comment on the directive, SGS’ Operations Manager Xavier Hoenen confirmed having received the letter.
“We are committed to continue with our mandate to provide vehicle inspection services to all vehicle owners in Uganda,” he said.
He added that inspection stations in the Namanve, Kawanda, Gulu, Mbale and Mbarara were open all weekend from 8am – 5pm but would not confirm whether the above mentioned bus companies complied with the directive and availed all their buses for inspection by the Monday 11th June deadline.
Representatives and spokespersons from the various bus companies had not responded to our inquiries regarding whether they were able to comply with the directive by the time of filing this report.
However, all vehicles that pass the inspection test, receive a certificate and red sticker of fitness.
This sticker is meant to be clearly displayed on the vehicle’s windscreen and members of the public are encouraged to look out for this sticker before boarding a bus for the sake of their safety.
