8^th January, 2023.

Kampala, Uganda

Egis Road Operations together with Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) are marking one year of conducting tolling operations on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.

On 8th January 2022, Egis Road Operations officially started toll operations on the Kampala- Entebbe Expressway, with the Minister of Works and Transport General Katumba Wamala officiating the ceremony by paying the first toll fees at Kajjansi toll Plaza.

“We are very proud to celebrate our first year of tolling operations on the expressway and we thank all Ugandans for embracing it. We surely could not have made it without you all,” said Mr. Yavuz Cagatay, the General Manager of Egis Road Operation Uganda.

“Egis Road Operation is committed to driving economic, social and infrastructural growth in order to add value to all our shareholders.  I am excited to share that we have so far we have recorded impressive growth in a number of key priority areas, hitting past the set targets in the past twelve months,” he added.

The procurement process began on 24^th May, 2021 when Egis Road Operation through an international competitive bid, was awarded the operations and maintenance contract of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway.

The main aim of the tolling operations on the expressway was to provide a financial source to bridge the existing financial gaps when it came to shortage of infrastructure funds for road maintenance and loan repayments through relieving the burden of competing for funds that could be used in other sectors.

Achievements

With the support of road users and other stakeholders, a number of achievements have been registered.

• About 7,300,000 motorists have used the road and a total revenue of 34,000,000,000 billion shillings collected in the past year.
• With the use of discount option of Upesi cards for the road users about 1,200 card passage users’ are registered daily.
• We also added mobile top up options for Upesi cards with partnerships with MTN Momo Pay, Airtel money and Stanbic Bank to enable the road users to conveniently top up their Upesi cards anywhere, anytime. We are glad Ugandans have embraced this and a number of road users are using these platforms.
• Through our various sensitization drives in promotion of road safety, we have witnessed a significant drop in the number of road accidents on the expressway from pre-operations. Gauging from the launch period where the number of road accidents on the expressway were around 60% per month to 30% average accidents per month now. We are still committed to promoting sensitization on road safety and we pray that the drivers will heed the message.

What to look forward to in the next year of operation.

The Kampala Entebbe Expressway was made with the objective of reducing traffic congestion for people travelling to and from Entebbe. Our key focus areas this year are meant to underpin that objective and make sure that we bring convenience to the people who use the road.

One of our priority areas is deepening the use of cashless means of payment along the expressway. Earlier within the year we introduced the Upesi card which has given convenience to our road users not to mention the great value for money they get from the discount policy we maintain on the Upesi card. Our objective is to increase the number of people who use the Upesi card. Cashless payments are the global trend and we would not like our customers to be left out. With the use of cashless payment systems, we will ensure that people spend less time at the tolls which improves convenience. We are currently doing some consultations on how to increase the number of people using cashless so as evolve the customer experience.

Our last priority this year is reducing the incidences of road accidents along the expressway. We have kicked off a sensitization drive to remind Ugandans to be cautious when driving along the expressway. We will remind our customers that is always better to arrive alive for their loved ones that to test the speed limits of their cars on the expressway. We are confident our message will be received by our customers. We continue to remind our customers that we have a toll-free emergency line 0800270170, which can be used by the road users at all times and we will be able to assist them. This number has been used by over 40,000 expressway road users this year who have had car breakdowns on the road, accidents, and other emergencies

“As much as we continuously sensitize road users and put out different messages about road safety, it ultimately depends on the road users’ behavior change.” Said Mr. Yavuz

“As we go into the second year of tolling, we look forward to our continued partnerships with all stakeholders for the growth and development of the Kampala- Entebbe Expressway,” he added.