Nebbi Taxi Drivers Protest Relocation to Gazetted Taxi Park

Nebbi Transporters and Taxi Drivers’ Association, the group contracted to manage the taxi park is counting losses after motorists abandoned the area, in favour of roadside stages. the drivers say that there is limited business in the park. 

There are three taxi roadside stages now in Nebbi. One is stationed at Arua stage along the Nebbi-Arua road, the Pakwach stage along the Nebbi-Kampala Road and the third one along Nebbi-Paidha Road. But the association has written to the Municipal authorities to demolish all three and compel drivers to return to the park. 

Powell Ongei, the secretary of the association says that due to the many stopovers along major highways, their revenue collection has dwindled over the last two years as many of the passengers who are supposed to board from the taxi park now board along the streets. 

The association projected a monthly collection of three million Shillings if all vehicles are parked at the taxi park. However, their records indicate collections of 1.3 million Shillings far below the projected revenue.   

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Charles Okumu, one of the taxi operators at Paidha stage says the taxi park attracts few passengers and is unable to accommodate many vehicles as part of the space is already occupied by food vendors.  

“…The place they are talking about can only accommodate 10 vehicles and a few food vendors. We are not going back to that place until the mess is sorted out”, he told journalists. 

Similarly, Brian Ongei, another taxi operator at Arua stage blames the Nebbi municipality for failing to gazette a larger area to accommodate all the transport taxis in the town.    

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Bernard Odur, an engineer from Uganda National Road Authority UNRA says parking and offloading of passengers along the Main Street especially on the pedestrian lane is risky. 

"This is risky and we have written to municipal authorities to get an alternative place to accommodate all these road side stages. Our roads are also at risk of being damaged due to parking of heavy vehicles on the pavers", he told journalists on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, Geoffrey Ngirike, the Nebbi municipality mayor says all the taxis were ordered to vacate their respective stages and move back to the temporary gazetted park near the Western gate of Nebbi main market but have still remained adamant.