Bus owners threaten strike over Karuma bridge closure
The United Bus Owners Association Ltd has given the government a seven-day ultimatum to address the challenges they face due to the closure of Karuma bridge. If their demands are not met, the association has threatened to park all their buses.
The bridge was closed in May this year due to structural concerns, forcing heavy vehicles, including buses, to be diverted. Only passenger vehicles carrying up to 28 passengers were allowed to use the bridge.
Solomon Nsimire, the chairperson of the United Bus Owners Association Ltd, expressed disappointment with the slow progress of the bridge repairs. Despite government assurances of a three-month completion timeline, the work has not been completed.
Addressing a press conference in Rubaga on Wednesday, Nsimire stated that a team from the association visited Karuma and was disheartened by the lack of progress.
“We have been waiting for government to give us a response because we wrote on the 2nd of July but it has not issued any official feedback and we’ve reached a point where by we cannot continue giving or rendering our services because it just cant work,” he said.
If government does not respond or engage us on the request we made within the next seven days, we are going to park all our buses,” he added.
He explained that numerous proposals had been submitted to the government, including allowing buses to use the new bridge at Karuma power dam, permitting buses to cross without passengers to reduce weight, and expediting the repairs on Karuma Bridge. However, the government is yet to respond to these suggestions.
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