Government suspends fees levied on taxi operators in Kampala

The minister for Kampala, Betty Amongi, has said that the government has suspended all charges and fees imposed on taxi operators in Kampala for one month.

While addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre, Amongi said there is need to resolve several controversies in the sector.

She said government had commenced the process-of regularizing the public transport sector in Kampala and the greater metropolitan area.

“15,000 commuter taxis have been registered with KCCA and 14,000 with the Ministry of Works and Transport to-date and assigned route charts,”she said.

She said there are a number of concerns and complaints that have come up from the taxi operators regarding the various charges that are being levied by various associations in the taxi business.

“For you to access a stage, you have to pay between shs 800,000 to shs 2,000,000 to be allocated a stage by those who call themselves stage leaders. There is what they call entry fees which is between shs 1000 to Shs Shs 4500. Every time a taxi loads, the stage manager charges between Shs 5000 to Shs 20,000.They are also charging welfare fee between Shs 20,000 to Shs 50,000. All the above charges have been suspended for a period of one month, “she said.

Amongi also ordered for the closure of all the taxi associations in Kampala with immediate effect.

“During this one month, there will be no withdrawal of the collected welfare fees held on the accounts of the various Taxi Associations until the sector is regularized. All taxi drivers being forced to pay the above fees are encouraged to report the cases of extra charges to KCCA park administrators,”she said.

She however said that private taxi parks are allowed to charge fees not exceeding Shs 3500 per taxi, per day.

“KCCA signed an memorandum of understanding with private taxi parks not to charge parking fees exceeding Shs 3,500 per vehicle per day. Failure to comply with the fees determined shall lead to KCCA revoking the MOU and de-gazetting such parks as several landowners in the city have expressed interest in offering such services at the rate KCCA has set,”she said.

The post Government suspends fees levied on taxi operators in Kampala appeared first on Nile Post.