The Ministry of Works and Transport has suspended the operations of the Uganda Driving Standards Agency (UDSA) pending investigations into complaints about the cost of mandatory refresher training for bus drivers, following threats by some drivers to withdraw their services.
Winston Katushabe, the Commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety, announced the suspension during a meeting with bus drivers on Monday to address concerns about operational requirements, training costs and road safety in the public transport sector.
Katushabe said the ministry would review the refresher training programme and consider recognising other training providers to give drivers more options. He also clarified that driver badges remain free of charge and are renewable annually through online services at Uganda Driver Licensing System (UDLS) points.
Drivers who have completed the required training but whose badges have expired were asked to submit their names to the ministry to facilitate temporary arrangements allowing them to continue working as the issues are addressed.
Katushabe acknowledged divisions among the leadership of bus drivers’ associations but said the government would continue engaging the different factions to find common ground. He thanked the drivers for choosing dialogue over industrial action.
Nasser Alibaliho, chairperson of the Professional Bus Drivers Association, told Uganda Radio Network that UDSA had been charging drivers excessively for the mandatory refresher course. Alibaliho said drivers were required to pay Shs1.5 million for the two-week training, a cost he described as unaffordable given their salaries.
He also called for the training period to be reduced to at least one week, arguing that the current full-time programme forces drivers to leave work for two weeks. He said the arrangement was particularly difficult for drivers travelling from upcountry districts, who must also find accommodation in Kampala while attending the course.
During the meeting, the drivers were given one week to submit a detailed written document outlining their concerns and proposed changes. The ministry is expected to convene a follow-up meeting after receiving the submissions. The discussions followed a threat by a faction of the United Bus Drivers Association (UBDA) to withdraw its members’ services and park the buses they operate from Monday.
The threat followed the circulation of a formal notice bearing the association’s name, announcing a temporary withdrawal of driving services over what the drivers described as financial and administrative pressure arising from badge validity and renewal requirements.
The notice acknowledged the importance of road-safety training but argued that the requirements should be affordable, practical, and developed in consultation with professional drivers.
The ministry’s intervention is intended to address the concerns through further engagement while reviewing the training arrangements and maintaining safety standards in the bus transport sector.
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