MEETING HELD WITH TAXI OPERATORS TO STREAMLINE PUBLIC TRANSPORT

In a bid to streamline public transport in Kampala, the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has held a meeting with the Uganda Taxi Operators Federation (UTOF) at City Hall.

The meeting, was aimed at formalizing the relationship between the two organizations and issuing terms of reference on their obligations and responsibilities.

Over 500 taxi operators turned up for the meeting that was held in the Mayor’s Gardens at City Hall on Wednesday.

Kampala City Lord Mayor, His Worship Erias Lukwago, spoke at the meeting and expressed his support for the KCCA's efforts to organize the city's transport and traffic.

He asked the taxi operators to remain united and urged them to focus on issues that are developmental and for the good of their job and the betterment of the city.

Dorothy Kisaka the KCCA Executive Director, led the KCCA technical team to the meeting and emphasized the need for a streamlined public transport system that would reduce congestion on roads, pollution in the city, and ease the mobility of the majority of people in the city.

“In meeting with the interim apex body of all public transport stakeholders, we are staying true to our inclusion stance in the management and mainstreaming of our operations," Kisaka said.

Rashid Ssekindi, the Chairperson of UTOF, spoke on behalf of the taxi operators and expressed their willingness to support the organization of the public transport sector in Kampala city.

He also highlighted the problems they had faced since the disbanding of UTODA in 2011, with some people benefiting from the chaos, leading to an increase in lawlessness.

KCCA has already started on streamlining commuter taxi operations by introducing route charts for all taxi stages in the parks and engaging public transport stakeholders through the public transport consultative forum, which comprises of government and private stakeholders such as UTOF.

The meeting between the KCCA and UTOF is a significant step towards creating a complete public transport network for the city that will show how the various modes of transport will feed into each other, complementing but not competing with one another.

It is hoped that this will reduce congestion on roads, pollution in the city, and ease the mobility of the majority of people in the city.​