Lira District, Uganda – Following the Ministry of Works and Transport’s 15-day suspension of YY Coaches’ bus operations, the company’s Lira Branch Manager, Juma Abdul Omar, has addressed customers to build trust and offer reassurance.
Speaking at a press briefing held at his office at the YY Coaches bus terminal in Lira city, Juma Abdul assured all their customers to remain calm. He explained that the company is actively working to address the directives issued by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
“We as YY coaches, we promised to still stay in service, we are not fully closed,” stated Juma Omar Abdul. He clarified that all 60 buses are en route to Naguru in Kampala today for the mandatory inspection as directed by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Juma Abdul appealed to the company’s clientele for understanding during this challenging period. “We request our customers to stand with us in this hard time of challenge,” he said, emphasizing that their services would continue with smaller vehicles not subject to the suspension. He specified that only the buses under YY Coaches Ltd. are currently affected.
Regarding the Ministry’s directives, Juma Abdul expressed a positive outlook. “As per the ministry of works and transport, our responses are positive because at all points YY has been operating hand in hand with the government and law enforcement officers adding that all shall be well.”
He highlighted the long-standing operational history of YY Coaches, which spans over 15 years, tracing its beginnings from the Eastern route of Mbale to its current widespread network.
It will be recalled that the Ministry of Works and Transport announced the 15-day suspension of YY Coaches’ operations, effective from 6:00 PM on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. This decision followed the bus company’s recent involvement in road accidents.
The State Minister of Transport, Hon. Fred Byamukama, while addressing the media, attributed the suspension to the company’s recent safety record. He noted that “in a period of two weeks, they have reported two accidents, one of which was fatal,” explaining that “The cause of these accidents is attributed to over speeding by the drivers.” The suspension applies to the operations of YY Coaches LTD following the series of road accidents in Buikwe and Ayago in West Nile within a two-week timeframe.
Meanwhile, some travelers have expressed their opinions on the suspension. Akello Esther, a 32-year-old traveler from Lira city west, felt that “25 days period is too much. It should be within one week.” Another YY Coaches traveler suggested that all drivers from all bus companies nationwide should undergo refresher courses.
One mother of five, who was stranded at the bus terminal on Tuesday midday and had to cancel her journey to Kampala, expressed her strong preference for YY Coaches.
She stated that she is “too used to only YY coached and not any other bus company adding that she has trust in their services and nothing else.
