New ferry gets green light to ply the Kalangala route
Passengers ready to board MV Amani, the new ferry plying the Entebbe-Kalangala route, recently. PHOTO BY Martin Ssebuyira
ENTEBBE.
The ministry of Transport has allowed a private company to ply the Entebbe-KalangalaIsroute on Lake Victoria.
The move comes after MV Kalangala, which was taken to Mwanza, Tanzania to undergo periodic servicing in January, has to date never been brought back.
The new company, Earth Wise Ferries Ltd, will ply the Nakiwogo (Entebbe)–Lutoboka-Buggala (Kalangala islands) route until MV Kalangala returns from servicing.
The company manager, Mr Aaron Ruud, told the Daily Monitor recently that the ministry gave them a go-ahead last week.
“People have been suffering and majority had shunned Entebbe- Kalangala route that compelled us to come and assist,” Mr Ruud said.
He said the ferry (MV Amani) will leave Entebbe everyday at 2pm and reach Kalangala at 5pm. It will then depart from Lutoboka at 8am and reach Entebbe at 11am.
The charges will be Shs30,000 for 1st class with a free drink and snack while passengers on economy class will pay Shs20,000.
“We need government to subsidise the fuel to enable us break through because water transport is very expensive. The ferry is now consuming 250 litres of diesel every route,” he added.
He said the ship carries 25 people in first class and 125 in economy class although the passengers have not yet started coming in large numbers ever since MV Kalangala was taken for servicing.
