Minister Suspends YY Operations for 15 Days Following Fatal Accident

The Ministry of Works and Transport has suspended Y.Y Coaches from operating on all routes for 15 days, effective Tuesday, 13th May 2025. This decision follows a series of serious accidents involving the company’s buses, raising concerns over driver safety and management practices.

The suspension follows a meeting on 12th May 2025 between the Ministry and the management of Y.Y Coaches. In the meeting, the Ministry expressed grave concerns about two recent accidents. "The Ministry is deeply concerned about the recent series of accidents involving your buses," Minister Byamukama Fred stated in a letter to the company. 

The letter referenced a fatal crash on 5th May 2025, where a Y.Y Coaches bus, registration number UAV 701C, was involved in a crash at Najja Village in Buikwe District along the Kampala-Katosi-Jinja Highway. The crash resulted in the deaths of three people, with preliminary investigations indicating that the driver was at fault. The driver remains on the run.

A second accident involved another Y.Y Coaches bus, registration number UAX 852F, which was en route from Kampala to Yumbe when it collided with another vehicle at Ayango on the Pakwach-Arua Highway. According to police findings, the driver "attempted to overtake another vehicle and lost control of the bus," causing the crash.

Both accidents have prompted serious concerns about the company’s handling of driver safety and operations. "The two crashes point to recklessness by your drivers on the road and failure to control the conduct of your drivers, among other managerial concerns," Minister Byamukama emphasized in the letter.

The Ministry has mandated that during the 15-day suspension, Y.Y Coaches take immediate action to aid the investigations and address safety concerns. "We require your company to avail all your buses to a joint inspection team from the Uganda Police Force (Director of Traffic) and the Ministry of Works and Transport for re-inspection," Byamukama directed in the letter.

Furthermore, the Ministry has instructed Y.Y Coaches to "present the drivers involved in the two crashes to the Commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety for further action." The company is also required to submit a list of all drivers, their appointment letters, and copies of their driver badges for verification. 

"We also require your company to provide a schedule of refresher training indicating drivers who have undertaken the training in the past year," the Minister added.

In addition to these actions, the Ministry has requested that Y.Y Coaches issue a public statement "to the general public of what happened and the mitigation measures you are putting in place to avoid future re-occurrences."