KAMPALA, UGANDA: Government has so far collected a total of Shillings 13 billion in toll fees from road users at the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway for the past five months, local publication NewVision reported on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
The Kampala-Entebbe Expressway is a four-lane toll expressway linking Entebbe International Airport to Kampala, the county’s capital city. The road was constructed with the objective of creating an efficient mass transit route between Kampala and Entebbe and also decongesting the city.
While launching the toll collection on Jan 08, 2022, the Minister of Works, Gen. Katumba Wamala, said that the fees collected will be used to help settle the outstanding loan and help in the maintenance of the road.
Reports indicate that $350 million (Shs1.3 trillion) of the total money used for constructing the 51.4km Expressway ($476 million / Shs1.8 trillion) was a loan acquired from China Exim Bank, while the remaining $126 million (Shs474 billion) was provided by the government of Uganda.
According to Egis Road Operation, the company contracted by Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to maintain the expressway and collect the toll fees from the road users, only sh13 billion has been raised with an average of 20,000 passages a day.
“Since toll collection commencement in January, we have been able to collect sh13b on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway. Averagely, we receive 20,000 passages per day on all the toll plazas which are above our targets,” Joy Nabasa, the company’s public relations manager said last week.
Nabasa, however, commended Uganda for showing resilient support for the act of tolling which enables citizens to enjoy world-class service at a minimal fee.
“We are grateful to the general community of clients who have embraced the tolling experience. In less than 3 months from when we launched the toll operations on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, we have managed to see a huge increase in the number of unique passages on the expressway,” she said.
Nabasa revealed that they have come up with a unique prepaid solution for customers who frequently use the expressway.
She said the company launched the ‘Upesi Card’ which allows road users to preload their accounts and swipe at the different tolls on the expressway. The cards have different discounts which favour the expressway road users.
Nabasa explained that the card is a convenient tool for road users who do not want to spend time exchanging money at the toll booths, adding that many road users have embraced it and 9,500 Upesi cards have been purchased and used by road users since the commencement of the toll fees collections.
She further noted that the Upesi card also enables the holders to enjoy fast convenient service with just a swipe at the toll gates which takes only five seconds and exit.
“With this card, the user enjoys convenience at a great discount compared to the customers paying cash,” Nabasa said.
Discount percentages
The company has three Upesi card options with three different discount percentages. The cards can be purchased at toll stations in Busega, Kajjansi and Mpala.
The first one is the Easy Pass with a 10% discount per passage and one card can be used by very many vehicles provided there are enough funds loaded on this card.
The second one is the Weekly Pass with up to 50% discount per passage valid for seven (7) days. This card is used by frequent road users and it comes with 14 trips.
The Monthly Pass with up to 70% discount per passage is valid for 30 days. This comes with 60 trips and is also used by frequent road users.
Road safety initiatives
Nabasa said they are doing a number of initiatives geared towards road safety along the expressway including; the routine running of road safety messages to their social media community in a bid to drive awareness of how expressways are used.
She said they launched the campaign at the beginning of the year and has yielded good results.
Nabasa noted that key tips along the expressway revolve around driving within the speed limit, keeping left unless overtaking, avoiding driving under the influence of alcohol, and keeping an appropriate distance between vehicles, and others.
She disclosed that their second initiative on road safety aside from the sensitization campaign is the toll-free emergency line 0800270170, which can be used by our customers at all times of the day and we assist them.
Nabasa said the number has been used by expressway road users who have had car breakdowns on the road, accidents, and others who call for other inquiries like Upesi card options and the different services that we provide.
“We are also working on the lighting along the expressway to enhance its security and safety for road users. We are working on an ambitious project which will see the road fully lit by the end of the year,” she disclosed.
Additional Reporting by NewVision
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