The Uganda Traffic and Road Safety Directorate has announced that it collected over 41 billion Ugandan Shillings (UGX) from motorists with unpaid Express Penalty System (EPS) tickets in 2023. This information is part of the 2023 Annual Traffic Performance Report released on May 17, 2024.
The report states, “The Directorate enhanced its operations against EPS defaulters throughout the country and collected sh41,451,520,000, including arrears, from traffic offenders.” This significant sum highlights the increased efforts to address unpaid traffic penalties across Uganda.
The months of November 2023 and January 2024 saw the highest number of tickets issued, with 53,684 and 53,454 tickets given out, respectively. The total value of these tickets exceeded 8 billion Ugandan Shillings.
The EPS scheme was introduced under Section 165 of the Traffic and Road Safety Act of 1998. The system was designed to manage minor traffic offenders efficiently. Its primary goal is to discourage road users from committing traffic offences by imposing immediate fines, which also helps reduce the congestion in courts.
There are 25 different codes for traffic offences under the EPS scheme, with fines ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 Ugandan Shillings. Offenders are required to pay these fines within 28 days. Once the payment is made, the offence is considered resolved, according to the Police.
