Lira City Council Authorities are on the verge of demarcating boda-boda stages to create sanity within the town and protect their operations.
Demarcation of the boda-boda stages is part of the development agenda for Lira City.
Other plans include; revenue enhancement, proper physical planning, improve sanitation and hygiene, trade order which will do a great job in attracting investments, among others.
There are over 1000 boda-boda riders in Lira City operating in small stages within town both motorcycle and bicycle that do not have formal stages.
According to Theophelius Tibihika, the Lira City Council Clerk, almost 40% of the parking spaces are taken up by the boda-boda riders.
Tibihika said the boda-boda operators occupy a lot of parking space in town which can be used for generating revenue and also promoting sanitation.
“The boda-boda industry is an important Transport sector with huge numbers, we want the boda-boda operators to be with us as we establish trade order because they occupy many parking spaces and yet we need an organized town, how best we organize can also underline the importance of trade order,” Tibihika said.
He added that they will draft a law abiding policy that will help regulate the operation of the boda-boda sector in Lira City.
“And ultimately, we shall craft a law that will help to regulate their industry so that they can co-exist,” Tibihika added.
This plan has got a handful of boda-boda riders interested where they said the demarcation will help them identify their true fellows from the wrong ones while others say it will cause troubles for the ones who will not have stages.
Sam Odongo the chairperson of Lira City Boda-boda Association said stages should be gazetted because many of the boda-boda riders are scattered especially along the main street where they even occupy the walkways for pedestrians.
Odongo said that some of them have been facing a lot of challenges in finding stages to do riding businesses.
“I have fully embraced this plan, let stages be gazetted because our people have been facing problems in finding stages with others staging anywhere like on the walkways,” Odongo said.
Moses Okori, the chairperson of Lira United Motorcycle Boda-boda Association said the suggestion of demarcation is good but it will disorganize some people who will not get stages.
“In every development there are problems also attach to, this may disorganize other people and to some it may either put things right or even not,” Okori said
Denis Derrick Ojok, one of the boda-boda riders in Lira City, said the demarcation will help them know the exact numbers of boda-boda riders in Lira.
Ojok however noted that the demarcation will cause tension because other riders will definitely lose their places of operations.
“This will help us know the number of occupants per stage but people who lose their places of operations will bring confusion to the demarcated stages ones established,” Ojok said
