In June 2009, police impounded six Teso Coach Buses following a spate of accidents. In 2011, Uganda Transport Licensing Board suspended the licenses of Teso Coach and Kasamba after fatal accidents that claimed four people.
The operations of Teso
Coaches have drastically reduced. No bus from Teso Coach Company has been seen
on the road for the last two weeks, according passengers in Soroti. The company
has mainly been operating the Moroto and Soroti- Kampala routes.
On many occasions, the
buses would break down, leaving passengers stranded. Teso Coaches joined the
transport industry after Lord’s Resistance Army-LRA rebels invaded Teso and
torched a bus belonging to Gateway in Atirir, along Soroti- Lira Road with
several passengers.
Gateway then,
minimized its operations in the area, prompting Faustino Etilu, the proprietor
of Teso Coach Services to venture into the transport business. Although this
was a huge sigh of relief for Teso, the company later got involved in series of
accidents that cost lives forcing passengers to shun it.
In June 2009, police
impounded six Teso Coach Buses following a spate of accidents. In 2011, Uganda
Transport Licensing Board suspended the licenses of Teso Coach and Kasamba
after fatal accidents that claimed four people.
The company has since
been entangled in several operational dilemmas, forcing it to suspend its
operations. Peter Adakun, a broker at Moroto Stage in Soroti, says the company
bus hasn’t been seen on the road for the last three weeks.
He explains that the
buses were not well maintained, in most cases forcing customers to pay double
fair to reach their destinations. “People went back to Gateway and others
resorted to small cars like Noah and taxis since Teso Coach was not reliable.
We hope that they return some day in a better shape”, he said.
Faustino Etilu, the proprietor Teso Coaches told URN that the buses were taken
for repair and will return on the road.
//Cue in “I’m still on…
Cue out…run even”//
Gateway Buses that have been operating mainly in Karamoja and Acholi for their
North- Eastern route has resumed full operations in Soroti. Several new buses
with new branding from Gateway Bus Company are seen at almost all stages in
Soroti.
The company has slashed transport fares forcing other companies like YY
Coaches, Kakise and Goglon to adjust their fares so as to compete for
customers. By the time of filing this story, Gateway was charging Shillings 20,000 to
Kampala, a drop from Shillings 25,000 charged by other buses. When URN checked
with YY, the company was ready for adjustment on individual basis.
Mustafa Ali, the assistant Manager, Gateway Bus Company in Soroti, says they
are re-establishing their routes in Eastern Uganda. He notes that much as
Gateway was in Soroti and other places as early as 1983, their operations were
minimized due to the competition that ensued.
