I travel by public means – mainly taxis – is messy. On the old Entebbe road, taxis are still characterized by long waiting times for passengers in and outside the taxi parks and incessant traffic jams around Najjanankumbi, Lweza, Bwebajja, Seguku, and Kajjansi. For taxis that randomly pick up people by the roadside, the alighting of passengers is the order of the day before arriving in Entebbe.
In a bid to appreciate the shrewder way of traveling by taxi to and from the city center via the Kampala- Entebbe expressway, our patience was tested at the old Entebbe road. It is still the same old story. By 8:15 am, we had arrived at Kisenyi-Gwanda taxi park after being bounced out of the new taxi park. The park touts, known for their inimical ways of luring commuters, led us to a taxi with only three people inside. We exited the park 16 minutes later and embarked on negotiating out of the congested downtown side of the city.
While in Kisenyi, the driver made a brief stopover to fuel the vehicle before joining Musajja-Alumbwa road via Eagle’s Nest SS to Lubiri ring road. As passengers charged to offer alternative routes, the driver proceeded to Weraga road and drove through various shortcuts that led us to Kabowa, Bunamwaya, Nyanama, and Zzana, and finally joined the main Entebbe road through the villages of Seguku.
Luckily, the first passenger alighted from Kitende but passengers braved more minutes to fill the vacant seat at the same stage. The conductor and driver were unmoved. The journey dragged as more passengers kept alighting as well as waiting for more at every stage. Even though we set off in Kampala at 8:15 am, we reached Entebbe at 10:07 am.
FLY EXPRESS TRAVELLERS
Whereas the taxi business is lucrative, it is still widely seen as insecure and inefficient. Two years ago, taxi drivers that frequented the Kampala-Entebbe route changed the narrative by running an organised transport system.
Strategically located at the bus park opposite K-Hotels along the Entebbe highway, this is not an ordinary park where taxi touts roam around for customers. The mini park comprises taxis popularly known as drones, and a clean semi-permanent waiting shade fitted with plastic chairs for passengers.
Inside, there are sockets and extension cables for clients to charge their phones free of charge while listening to music. According to the chairman of Fly Express Travelers Limited, Peter Kaggwa, the drivers aimed at creating a safer and more efficient transport system.
“We wanted to stand out in service delivery because the majority of our clients are decent people and deserve utmost respect and value for their money. Whoever comes to the park knows where they are going and there’s no need for shouting and fighting for customers,” Kaggwa said.
He said that the drivers may not realize the impact of the system but endless positive reviews from clients are testimony that they are doing an amazing job.
“If a person uses a boda boda from Kisubi to the bus park [almost injecting Shs 3,000 on a boda boda and an additional Shs 5,000 taxi fare via the express way] to use our vehicles, it means we are serving them well. We also get clients from Nakiwogo, Kigungu, and Kawuku,” he added.
The taxis have three route charts from Entebbe via the expressway; Kajjansi-Kibuye-city center; Busega-Bwaise-Mulago via public service; and Busega to Namboole- Bweyogerere.
While in Kampala, the taxis are stationed near railway grounds along Entebbe road but join the expressway to Entebbe. All the taxis move from 5 am to 10 pm. Thereafter, special orders can be accepted throughout the night.
Unlike in the Kisenyi park where it took more than 10 minutes to fill a taxi, it takes about five minutes to load Fly Express taxis during the peak hours of 7am to 10am [Entebbe to Kampala] and 5 pm to 8 pm [Kampala to Entebbe]. Before a taxi sets off, passengers are charged Shs 5,000 – the same as with ordinary taxis – since they don’t carry with them conductors.
For clients that can’t access the bus park, Kaggwa said they book prior through their contacts and are picked up along the expressway.
“Our policy is that even if a customer alighted from Busega and there’s a free seat, we don’t randomly pick people on the way unless you booked with us,” he said.
EFFICIENT SYSTEM
Irene Soit, a regular traveler with Fly Express taxis for almost a year, said the system is efficient while the drivers are up to their task. A Kenyan who has stayed in Uganda for four years, she travels from Mpala to Kampala daily.
“I don’t go to the official stage in Entebbe in the morning. I rather call and they pick me up at my stage. I would board ordinary taxis but spend almost an hour to Kampala,” Soit said.
She added: “With ordinary taxis, the touts are indecent and insult customers. When I met Fly Express, my prayer was answered. You will never hear the drivers using vulgar or demeaning language before customers. They respect each customer.”
In case of loss of property in their vehicles, the drivers deliver it to their main office in Entebbe. Soit witnessed this early this year when she forgot one of her bags but found everything intact on the same day. “I have heard people who forgot their laptops and they picked them. They rarely change drivers which helps customers to keep track of the person who took them,” she said.
ROAD TOLL CONCERNS
As of last week, Fly Express had 42 taxis and 46 drivers. Each taxi raises about Shs 100,000 in daily income for the owner with less competition on the road for customers. In the old system, Kaggwa said, drivers would make between Shs 70,000 and Shs 85,000 after paying the conductor and servicing endless cash receipts issued at various stages.
“We are capable of earning more via the expressway but we spend a lot on the road toll. As frequent users, the government needs to critically analyze our revenue to it and give us a subsidy,” he said.
On the expressway, the taxis record five to eight routes per day – each trip is charged Shs 5,000. A trip is calculated as a single journey in one direction from any of the three exit toll points; Busega, Kajjansi, and Mpala. Since the commencement of the toll fees in January 2022, the government has so far collected Shs 20 billion, according to Joy Nabaasa, the Public Relations Manager of Egis Road Operation that was contracted to maintain the expressway.
“On average, we record 20,000 passages mainly of class two vehicles with two and three axles. At the launch of the toll fees, we announced discounts for frequent road users and they still apply for only Upesi card users [that preload money on their accounts and swipe the cards at the toll gates],” Nabaasa told The Observer.
She urged the frequent drivers to purchase Upesi cards – currently at 30 per cent usage on the road – because “they are free, with discounts of up to 70 per cent and it takes less than five seconds to pay at the toll gates using the cards.” Although the card is free, once lost, damaged, or stolen, a customer is charged Shs 20,000 for replacement.
As more commuters embrace the expressway, reduced travel time to and from Entebbe is guaranteed; it took at least 26 minutes to travel back to Kampala using a Fly Express taxi compared to wasting more than two hours on the existing narrow and congested Entebbe road.
Expressway daily toll fees
• Motorcycles (400cc) – Shs 3,000
• Light Vehicles – Shs 5,000
• Medium vehicles (2-3 axles) – Shs 10,000 Large vehicles & buses (4-5 axles) – Shs 15,000 Large vehicles (6 or more axles) – Shs 18,000
nangonzi@observer.ug
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