Govt Orders Bus Drivers to Switch After Long Journeys to Curb Fatigue

What the report says

Uganda’s Ministry of Works and Transport has ordered bus operators to rotate drivers after long trips in a new effort to reduce fatigue-related crashes. The directive was announced by Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama after a meeting with bus operators, Traffic Police and other transport stakeholders at the ministry headquarters in Kampala on Monday evening, according to Nile Post.

Under the rule, buses covering more than 300 kilometres must have a different driver for the return leg. A driver who takes the outbound journey on such a route will not be allowed to drive the same bus back. For shorter routes, one driver may make a round trip, but must stop working after completing the return journey and cannot take on a third leg the same day. Traffic Police has been told to arrest operators and drivers who ignore the directive.

The ministry says the measures respond to a recent run of deadly bus and school transport crashes. Nile Post linked the decision to incidents in July and early August, including crashes involving an Opit Travellers bus, school buses from Mwebaza High School, St Paul Secondary School and King David Junior School, as well as other fatal road accidents. Authorities have also been tightening wider safety controls, including proposals for electronic monitoring of drivers’ hours and stronger checks on vehicle condition and licensing.

More broadly, the directive reflects the government’s growing focus on driver fatigue, speeding and enforcement on long-distance routes. Cautious background: road safety measures in Uganda have increasingly combined operator discipline, vehicle inspections and monitoring of public-service vehicles as officials look to cut the number of serious crashes.