Govt suspends YY Coaches after two serious road crashes
A bus seen in flames after overturning on the Katosi-Nyenga Road in Buikwe District on May 5, 2025.
What you need to know:
- During the suspension period, the proprietors of the bus company are expected to take all their drivers for road safety testing by the government team from the Ministry of Transport and the traffic police, according to the minister.
The government has suspended the operations of YY Coaches in Uganda for at least 15 days following two serious road crashes, one of which left four people confirmed dead and over 30 others hospitalised with severe burns and broken limbs.
“I want to announce to the country that we are suspending the operations of YY buses in Uganda for 15 days. The reason is that they have reported two accidents, one of which was fatal. The driver is on the run. We also have one known passenger reported missing, even though his luggage and identification documents were recovered from the scene. We don’t know whether he died in the burning bus or is somewhere in a clinic undergoing treatment,” the State Minister for Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama, told journalists in Kampala.
State Minister for Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama. PHOTO/IBRAHIM KAVUMA
The suspension, which starts at 7 pm on May 13, comes days after a May 6, 2025, crash involving one of the YY buses, whose driver lost control as he attempted to avoid hitting a motorcyclist before it overturned and burst into flames on the Katosi-Nyenga Road in Buikwe District.
Police confirmed that only four bodies were recovered from the scene, and at least 30 passengers hospitalised with severe burns. The ongoing police inquest, however, is partly to establish whether the death toll is higher, as some passengers are feared to have burned to ashes.
Another crash involving a bus of the same company happened barely two days later at Ayago village near Karuma Bridge, leaving several passengers injured.
“The cause of these accidents, according to police and our traffic regulation team, was speeding. We are also investigating reports that the bus, which burst into flames, had some liquid suspected to be waragi (alcohol) on board. Transporting inflammable liquids on buses is prohibited,” Mr Byamukama said.
During the suspension period, the proprietors of the bus company are expected to take all their drivers for road safety testing by the government team from the Ministry of Transport and the traffic police, according to the minister.
“They are also expected to bring all their buses for inspection to establish whether they are in good condition; to submit the appointment letters of all their drivers to establish whether all the drivers whose names they submitted to us for accreditation are the ones they are using, or they sneaked in others without accreditation. We will also look at their schedule for refresher training of their drivers,”’ Mr Byamukama added.
Road crash stats
Police, in their latest annual crime report, said there were 25,107 road crashes reported in 2024, accounting for 6.4 per cent increase in cases reported in 2023.
There were 25,808 casualties from road crashes in 2024 compared to 24,728 in 2023, giving a 4.4 per cent increase in the number of casualties.
The highest number of crashes in 2024 (3,780) occurred between 18:00hrs and 19:59hrs. Similarly, fatal crashes (894) were also highest between 18:00hrs and 19:59hrs.
