The owners of Tondeka Metro Bus Company have assured the speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, that once they take over transport services within the city, taxi drivers and touts will be given preference during employment.
The assurance was given to Kadaga when the team led by the company’s board chairman Dr. Peter Kimbowa paid a courtesy call on the speaker Thursday.
“I have met stake holders of Tondeka Metro Bus Service, which is to serve Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono Districts. 980 buses will ply the routes, starting September. I have been assured that taxi drivers and conductors will be given jobs. And new bus purchases will be from Kira motors,” Kadaga tweeted after the meeting.
Kadaga said that the involvement of Kiira motors in the second phase of the project would help build local capacity and further provide employment opportunities to many youth in the country.
The meeting was also attended by taxi drivers and owners representatives, Mustafah Mayambala of UTRADA , Gad Mugisha of COTODA, Amanda Ngabirano Director of Tondeka, Ortus Africa’s Dorothy Kabugo, the transaction advisors of Tondeka Project and Shubir Karia Hinduja groups representative in Uganda.
Dr Kimbowa, told the speaker that unlike the past initiatives, the proposed transport infrastructure project will deliver five bus terminals, five depos and several park and ride facilities along the major arteries of Tondeka’s operational radius.
He said his team has extensively consulted with members of the public, Government local administrative units of Mukono, Wakiso, Entebbe and KCCA and was optimistic that when the operations of Tondeka begin, all parties concerned will be well aligned.
Dr Kimbowa also revealed that Tondeka is a locally registered special purpose vehicle, owned by the existing taxi and drivers associations alongside Ugandan business entrepreneurs backed up by the Hinduja group, the world’s third biggest bus manufacturers, who have pledged to offer a turn key solution.
