Breaking News!! Uganda Suspends YY Coaches After Fatal Accidents Spark Safety Worries
The Ugandan government has stopped YY Coaches, one of the country’s biggest long-distance bus companies, from working for 15 days. This decision was made after two very serious accidents involving their buses. The Ministry of Works and Transport gave the order on Tuesday, 13 May. All YY buses were told to stop moving from 7 p.m. that same evening.
The first accident was very tragic—three people died on the spot, and to make things worse, the bus driver ran away without telling the police what had happened. In the second accident, another YY bus with the registration number UAX 852F crashed at a place called Ayango, which is on the road between Pakwach and Arua. According to reports, the driver tried to overtake another vehicle, lost control of the bus, and caused the accident.
The government said the 15-day suspension will give them time to investigate the incidents properly. They also want to use this time to make sure that passengers are safe before the company is allowed to operate again. YY Coaches has been ordered to bring all its buses for inspection by both the police and the transport ministry.
In addition, YY Coaches must give a full list of all its drivers. They must also show that their drivers have been trained again recently to improve their driving skills. The company has been told to bring the two drivers who were involved in the accidents so that investigations can continue. YY Coaches also needs to make a public statement explaining what went wrong and how they plan to avoid such dangerous situations in the future.
This ban is already causing problems for many travelers in Uganda. YY Coaches is one of the most used bus companies, especially for people traveling between Kampala and other big towns like Arua, Gulu, Yumbe, Lira, Kitgum, Soroti, and Mbale. The company also operates across the border to Nimule and Juba in South Sudan, making it a key player in both local and international transport.
Sadly, this is not the first time YY Coaches has been in trouble because of safety problems. Back in 2019, the company had to stop working for a short time after two weeks of crashes that killed 14 people. In 2020, the police ordered all YY drivers to take their driving tests again. And in 2017, many of their buses were taken off the road in Jinja because they failed to follow rules about digital monitoring systems.
Even with all these past issues, YY Coaches has continued to be one of the top transport companies in Uganda’s north and northeast regions. But after these latest deadly accidents, many people are questioning how safe it really is to travel with them.
