Fares will start from as low as UGX 800 for adults and
UGX 400 for students, depending on the distance travelled
By Moses Sserwanga
E-Bus Xpress operations have been launched in Kira
Municipality, with pomp marking a significant milestone in the country’s
journey towards a modern, efficient, safe, accessible and sustainable public
transport system in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) .
At a
colourful event presided over by the Minister of Kampala Capital City and
Metropolitan Affairs , Hajjat Minsa Kabanda , E- Bus Xpress- (EBX) a subsidiary of Uganda’s green mobility
industry captains Kiira Motors Corporation , (KMC) has deployed an additional 21
new Kayoola electric buses which were flagged-off for the new- modern – green
mobility service that will connect growing residential communities
to the Ntinda hub and Kampala, with
three dedicated feeder routes which will include ; Ntinda – Najjera – Kira –
Kitukutwe – Kiwologoma – Nakwero; Ntinda – Naalya – Kyaliwajjala – Namugongo –
Sonde and Ntinda – Kisasi – Kyanja – Kungu.
Each route will have 5 buses connecting passengers with
scheduled services, air conditioned buses, onboard Wi-Fi, modern safety
features and cashless payments.
Others who joined Minister Kabanda to witness the
historic moment were her colleague, the
Minister of Science Technology and Innovations (STI) Eng. Jonard
Asiimwe Akiiki. the Kiira Municipality Mayor , Mr. Allan Bulamu , the
Wakiso LCV Chairman Mr. Ian Kyeyune , the E-Bus Xpress Board of Governors
Chairman ,Dr. Freddie Emmanuel Mugunga, the E-Bus Xpress, Managing Director (MD) Eng. Ian Jon
Kavuma , Mr. Ibrahim Senyonga ,the General Manager for Enterprise Business United (EBU) at MTN
–Uganda, Eng JacobEng. Jacob Byamukama ,the Deputy Director for Roads
Management (and Deputy Director of Transport and Roads Management) at the
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Mr. Isaac Musasizi the CEO
Kiira Motors Corporation .
Minister Kabanda said the new green mobility services
which started in Jinja City and are now being rolled out in the Capital City
Kampala, demonstrates the confidence that the Uganda Government is placing in
electric mobility as part of the future of urban transportation.
“For the people of Kira, today's launch means more
than additional buses on the road. It means greater connectivity, more reliable
mobility and a cleaner and more dignified public transport experience. What we
are witnessing today has implications for Kampala, Kira and Uganda as a whole.
Our cities are
growing, our population is increasing, and the demand for mobility is
expanding. We must therefore, build a transport system that is not only capable
of moving people, but one that supports economic activity, protects the
environment and improves the quality of life of our citizens,” Minister Kabanda
told a big excited audience.
The minister noted that Kiira Motors Corporation
represents Uganda's ambition to build a strong domestic automotive industry and
demonstrates that we can manufacture modern, high-quality and environmentally
responsible vehicles here at home.
E-Bus Xpress Kiira Ltd, on the other hand, Kabanda said,
is taking that locally manufactured technology into our communities and putting
it to work in addressing one of the country’s - most pressing urban challenges
- public transportation.
“This is the connection between manufacturing and
service delivery, between innovation and practical solutions, and between the
vision of industrialisation and the everyday lives of Ugandans,” she stated.
The significance of the E-Bus Xpress initiative that
will cover all the major cities in Uganda, goes beyond the buses themselves.
It is about creating employment and developing skills.
It is about supporting local value chains. It is about embracing digital
technology through cashless payments, connectivity and telematics. It is about
improving safety and the passenger experience. Most importantly, it is about
demonstrating that Uganda can develop solutions to its own challenges using its
own people, institutions and industries.
Kabanda said the green mobility service is consistent
with the national development priorities and the country’s commitment to
sustainable and inclusive growth. It is also aligned with the vision for a
modern, integrated and efficient transport system for the Greater Kampala
Metropolitan Area, as envisaged under the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area
Multi-Modal Urban Transport Master Plan.
This particular vision seeks to improve public
transport across Kampala and the surrounding municipalities, providing more
efficient mobility, reducing congestion and supporting the transformation of
Kampala into a modern and smart city.
The E-Bus Xpress ,MD, Eng. Kavuma ,said the expanded
green mobility service will offer passengers in Kiira Municipality scheduled, professional
operations; clean, air-conditioned buses fitted with modern comfort, connectivity
and safety features; and a safer, more dignified and affordable travel experience.
Kavuma explained that because the E-bus Xpress fleet
is fully electric, every journey is completed with zero tailpipe emissions,
contributing directly to cleaner air and healthier communities across the
Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
He said that the service is also built around
convenience and transparency in how passengers pay their fares.
“Our cashless payment ecosystem includes Mobile Money,
through MTN MoMo and Airtel Money merchant and USSD codes, for the everyday mobile-money
user; a reusable Transport Card for corporate clients and the general public,
offering the shortest payment journey; a Smart Wristband designed specifically
for primary and secondary school pupils, powered by an integrated multi- network
platform on *272*80#; and the EBX Connect App, giving smartphone users on both
Android and iOS convenient access to fare payment and related services,” Kavuma
added .
The Mayor of Kira municipality , Allan Bulamu ,welcomed
the E-mobility solutions being introduced by E-bus - noting that Uganda needs
to continuously think about the future of public transport systems which should
be clean , smart , timely and sustainable .
“Our country should not be left behind by the rest of
the world in adopting clean mobility technologies . We need electric buses and
trains for our cities to reduce pollution and the time people spend traveling
which will ultimately improve the quality of life and increase productivity of people in the cities and urban
centers,” Bulamu argued.
The Mayor called
for the integration of transport networks across the Kampala Metropolitan Area
so that E-Bus Express services can connect with rail, road and other modes of
transport to create a seamless passenger transport system.
He further called for the implementation of plans to
provide dedicated bus lanes, designated stages, passenger shelters and other
facilities, while ensuring that the infrastructure is safe and accessible to
the public.
Bulamu
cautioned against excluding existing taxi operators from the new transport
developments, urging authorities to ensure that they are incorporated into the
evolving public transport system.
Eng. Jacob Byamukama, the Deputy Director of
Transport and Roads Management at KCCA,
said the electric buses would improve the passenger travel experience while
contributing to the reduction of traffic congestion in the city.
However,
he acknowledged that operating a bus system in the centre of Kampala would be
challenging because the city currently has no dedicated bus lanes, forcing
buses to compete for road space with other forms of traffic.
E-Bus Express Board Chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Freddie
Mugunga urged the Minister for Kampala and other authorities to allocate
additional routes to the company, saying it is ready to deploy 100 buses across
the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area before the end of the year.
He said
the company ultimately plans to deploy up to 1,000 electric buses across major
cities in Uganda by 2030.
Speaking at the launch of the Kira
Municipality routes, Ibrahim Senyonga, General Manager of the Enterprise
Business Unit (EBU) at MTN Uganda, said MTN would provide the cashless payment
system, allowing passengers to pay their fares without carrying physical cash.
He added that MTN had also deployed internet
services on the buses and would work to ensure uninterrupted connectivity as
much as possible.
The launch
of the new routes follows what the company describes as a successful pilot and
rollout project in the Jinja area, which began in November 2024.
The service introduced daily electric bus
transport along the Jinja–Iganga and Jinja–Nakibizi corridors using a fully
cashless payment system.
According
to the company, the service initially transported about 300,000 passengers
during the early stages of the rollout and has since carried about 3.5 million
passengers, demonstrating strong commuter demand despite operating a fleet of
only seven buses.
The event
was also attended by two other E-Bus Xpress board members, Thatcher Nakimuli
Mpanga and Moses Witta Mbubi.
Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com
