Transportation in Uganda is majorly road transport.
Getting Here
Entebbe International Airport is the main entry to Uganda for visitors traveling by Air. Located on the shores of Lake Victoria, Entebbe Airport links Uganda to all continents.
Getting Around
There are exciting ways to get around Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. From public transport to private car hire, there are possible ways for everyone to get around the country with ease.
You can easily get around Kampala, the capital of Uganda. There are several means you can get around Kampala
- Boda Bodas
- Matatu
- Private Car Rental
- Uber Taxi
Using Public Mini-bus taxis:
These are locally known as matatus, and many prefer using this mean to travel around the capital city Kampala and they commonly used in Uganda and the entire African countries. The matatus station at the park and wait passages and other pick passengers on the way and then drop them to their destinations within the city and its suburbs. Everywhere within the Kampala, Entebbe, wandegeya, lubaga, nakawa, makindy and another area where you are situated you can’t fail to get a tax. You can get a tax from as low as 500-2000 however this depends on the distance covered.
Private Special Hire Taxis:
Using special tax is more private and reliable than a public tax, and many people travel around the capital city Kampala using private special taxi, taxi are more crowed, however a special taxis covers only you or with your loved one, family and friend. Special taxis are parked within the capital city and its suburbs well maintained with smart drivers who are ever ready to drive you to your destination. They are professionals and they know each and every part of the country. Although they are more expensive than the public taxis but they offer a perfect service. Once you hire a private tax, expect no stopovers along the way you will be driven from point A to B without any stop so you can reach your destination in time. Private taxis rates ranges from 15000 to 30000 per person however this depends on where you are going.
Using ‘’Boda-Boda’’(Motorcycle):
This is known as the quickest mean to use to travel around the capital city Kampala and its outskirts within few minutes you have reached your destination. Motor cycles for hire known as Boda Boda are a most convenient way of getting about in the city and the surbubs and with them too, you will have to haggle over the price quoted and they will always back down and you will be surprised at how much you save.
Although very quick and fast, its known as un safe compared to other means, boda-boda riders are known as the most reckless drivers so chances of colliding is very high they like over speeding and overtaking the cars. Using a Boda boda is a bit expensive than a tax. The advantage with a motorcycle is that it picks you and drops you to the exact point or address not on stop point like a tax does. You can be charged from UGX5000 to 20000 when travelling with in the capital city Kampala but more if you wish to visit the suburbs, the price however is negotiable. However, don’t fall in love with gaggling to a point that you expect a fair deal at the expense of the person offering the service and always expect bargain prices for it’s worth remembering that they are in business.
Public Coaster/ Buses:
Once in Uganda, the cheapest way to get about is through public transport and there are standard Bus companies in operation and these connect to the major towns on a daily basis and are usually cheaper than minibuses which in Uganda are reknown for reckless driving. However, traffic policemen stationed along the way and installation of speed governors have helped in the reduction of speed levels but in spite of this, buses remain the better option for they stop less often and take you to your destination unlike Omnibuses that lure passengers then offload them when the route turns out to be unprofitable which is the case if not full. However, although buses have schedules, these are often not strictly followed and they tend to always leave later than their stipulated departure times because they want to leave full. The only buses that are an exception to this are Link which plies the western route and Gaaga which plies the Northern route (Arua only and Nairobi). All the buses leave early and some even as early as 5.00 am and as late as 10.00 pm for Gaaga.
In addition to the normal buses is the EMS post bus which has a reputation for careful driving and safety. These travel from Kampala to all the major towns in Uganda and the fares are cheaper by a dollar or a little more than the normal buses. They stop less often usually at post offices but there’s only one route and although you may not have to book, in the event that you do, it guarantees you a seat as often they are full to capacity and it’s easy to miss a seat. However they leave quite early at 8.00 am every day.
All of these buses have exclusive or shared terminals. Akamba’s is on Dewinton street near the National Theatre, Gaaga’s is at Arua park, Scandinavian Express’ is at Lumumba Avenue, Kampala Coach is along Jinja road section of the main Kampala City Street and for the rest including Teso Coaches, Kakise, Elgon Flyer and a host of others including omnibuses which ply the eastern route – Mbale, Soroti, north – Gulu, Lira can be found at Quali Cell Bus Terminal near downtown Kampala. It’s usually difficult getting buses to the north eastern route – Moroto, Abim and generally Karamoja region from Kampala. Instead, you can connect from Mbale and Soroti very easily.
For mini taxis, there are two parks; the Old Taxi Park and the New Taxi Park. These are not far from each other and are both near the Qualicell Bus terminal which is in between the two. From both parks you can get taxis to most destinations.
Small Buses or Taxis
If you want to hire a car as a group of between 10-30, you can hire a coaster which can accommodate all of you. A bus operate and reaches areas like Masaka, kasese, Mbale, Gulu, Jinja among many other destinations, so if you are travelling to these areas, a bus is a more pocket friendly means of transport. Coasters also reaches Kampala, so, you can get them anywhere within the capital city. If you want to hire a bus or a coaster for a large group, you can contact from a car rental company or you can contact us direct we will book you the car at a fair price and the car is hire to you with a trusted chauffeur.
However, you can also hire a vehicle if you so desired and the opportunities for this are limitless. Unlike buses and omnibuses whose fares are fixed, you may have to haggle with the drivers of these vehicles to get a fare price because there is no uniformity in their fares. However, even after considerable haggling they are quite expensive given the high fuel costs which are higher compared to other countries in Africa.
Air Transport
There are also several smaller airlines that offer both scheduled and charter flights from Kampala. One of them is eagle air which offers flights throughout the country. Destinations include Arua, Gulu, Moyo, Nebbi although few tourists go these places. It also flies daily to Pakuba airstrip in Murchison Falls National park daily and once a week to Kasese.
