Govt unveils reduced driving permit fees for motorbikes

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KAMPALA - The Ugandan government has announced new driving licence fees for boda bodas (riding motorbike taxis) and other motorcycle categories.

Waiswa Bageya, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport, announced the new fees for the category of A, AI and BI classes in a statement dated July 31, 2024.

Class A permits cover motorcycles with no sidecar, Class A1 is for motorcycles with a cubic capacity not exceeding 125cc, and Class B1 is designated for motorised tricycles and quadricycles.

Bageya informed the general public that the fees had been reduced effective August 1, 2024.

The fees depend on the type of driving licence you are applying for and its validity period, but the driving licences are valid for one, three, and five years.

The learner’s driving licence, which is valid for three months, will now cost sh40,000, down from sh60,000, while a new full driving licence for a year will cost sh100,000, down from sh135,000.

A new full driving licence for three years will cost sh130,000, down from sh230,000, and that for five years will cost sh250,000, down from sh330,000.

Renewing a driving licence for one year will now cost sh70,000, down from sh130,000; for three years sh100,000, down from sh210,000, and for five years sh200,000, down from sh310,000.

For duplication, it will cost sh60,000 and the same amount for extension of expiring driving licences.

Currently, to replace a lost, stolen, or damaged licence, you pay sh121,000.

Bageya, however, noted that these new fees do not apply to driving licences with other vehicle categories.

He also said that the standard (old) fees will apply for extensions from A, AI and BI to other vehicle categories.

Museveni keeps promise

In May this year, President Yoweri Museveni promised that the government would reduce these costs following the complaints by the riders that they were very high.

“One of the challenges you are facing is driving licence charges, which are at the same rate as that of a motor vehicle… But that is going to change, we are going to change the fees. You said we should reduce the charges to at least sh100,000. I’m going to work on that,” he promised. 

This was during the pass-out ceremony of 372 boda boda leaders from Kampala City and Wakiso district after undergoing an eight-day patriotism training at the Oliver Reginald Tambo School of Leadership and Pan-African Centre of Excellence in Kaweweta, Nakaseke district.

He made the promise while responding to a query raised by the chairman of boda boda riders in Kampala, Frank Mawejje, who informed him that several boda bodas had been impounded from the riders due to lack of driving licences, which had proved to be very costly.