Taxi drivers decry shortage of space
Congestion. Meat traders occupying places which were initially taxi stages. PHOTO BY YAZID YOLISIGIRA
What you need to know:
- Mr Ali Muwayi, the chairperson of Iganga Taxi Drivers and Operators Association (ITODA), says drivers started shunning the park last year following the construction of a building on their land by Iganga Municipal Council authorities.
- Accidents. Mr Emma Mugabi, a boda boda rider says, “Taxis have invaded our stage and sometimes knock us as we fight for space. There is disorder in the transport system and we want them (taxis) to return to their park.”
Iganga. Taxi drivers in Iganga Municipal Council have accused Iganga Municipality of parcelling out their parkland to an investor, leaving them without space.
This development has seen them load and off-load passengers on the highway.
The number of vehicles that get to the park have reduced from 200 to 60 over the past six months.
When this reporter visited the park on Sunday, it had less than 20 vehicles, with the space that used to cover part of the park being occupied by a commercial storeyed building.
Mr Ali Muwayi, the chairperson of Iganga Taxi Drivers and Operators Association (ITODA), said drivers started shunning the park early last year following the construction of the building on their land by Iganga Municipal Council authorities.
However, the Iganga District mayor, Mr David Balaba, denied parcelling out part of the parkland and accused drivers of being ‘stubborn’.
“There is enough space in the park, but the problem we have is that these drivers are stubborn and want to operate from the highway to evade some taxes,” Mr Balaba said, adding that taxis operating from the highway were causing congestion and accidents.
“We have received reports of accidents in town and as municipal council, we are planning to forcefully drag them back to the park,” he said.
The building, which has shops and offices, was reportedly rented out to traders who remit money to Iganga Municipal Council.
“The storeyed building took our space and the situation was worsened by an invasion of the park by traders who erected stalls on orders of politicians,” Mr Muwayi added.
Mr Muwayi said the shunning of the park has affected their operations.
“Fares in the park were a bit high; for example we charged between Shs8,000 to Shs10,000, but it is much less outside the park,” he said.
Mr Abdallah Batambuze, the chairperson of Iganga Taxi Park, said most of the taxis abandoned the park, leaving them with only three stages; Kampala, Bunya and Kaliro, which has affected their operations.
“Passengers have reduced even on the three remaining stages; for example, we sometimes register only four vehicles on the Kaliro Stage which used to have 30 vehicles,” Mr Batambuze added.
Mr Batambuze said it is now hard for them to track customers’ luggage in case they get lost.
He added that there is congestion on the Iganga-Jinja highway, where drivers operate, leading to brawls between taxi drivers and boda boda riders over space.
Mr Emma Mugabi, a boda boda rider operating around Kigobero Stage, said taxis have since taken over their stages and the congestion sometimes results in accidents.
