Transport · Uganda Railways, Civil Aviation Authority and Transport Licensing Board via UBOS
Rail, air cargo and transport licences
Uganda Railways carried 264,181 tonnes of freight in 2023, up from 193,693 in 2019. 40,911 tonnes of cargo were flown out of Entebbe in 2023, 2.3 times the 18,161 tonnes flown in.
Rail freight, 2023
264,181 t
from 193,693 t in 2019
Air cargo out of Entebbe, 2023
40,911 t
18,161 t flown in
Rail accidents, 2023
27
68 at the peak
Boda boda licences, 2022
5,582
issued that year
40,911 tonnes of cargo were flown out of Entebbe in 2023, 2.3 times the 18,161 tonnes flown in.
Freight on the railway
Tonnes carried by Uganda Railways, including lake rail ferries
- All rail freight
- Ferry via Port Bell
- Ferry via Jinja Pier
| Month | All rail freight | Ferry via Port Bell | Ferry via Jinja Pier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 264,181 t | 77,217 t | 7,335 t |
| 2022 | 298,430 t | 128,433 t | 13,859 t |
| 2021 | 181,880 t | 57,624 t | 38,358 t |
| 2020 | 196,935 t | 32,237 t | 26,063 t |
| 2019 | 193,693 t | 63,949 t | – |
More cargo flies out than in
Cargo through Entebbe International Airport, tonnes
- Flown out (loaded)
- Flown in (off-loaded)
| Flown out (loaded) | Flown in (off-loaded) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 42,089 t | 22,642 t |
| 2020 | 24,246 t | 22,226 t |
| 2021 | 39,076 t | 25,594 t |
| 2022 | 40,968 t | 20,099 t |
| 2023 | 40,911 t | 18,161 t |
Public transport licences issued
Licences issued each year by the Transport Licensing Board (not vehicles on the road)
- Boda boda
- Buses & minibus taxis (PSV)
- Special hire & town taxis
- Tourist vehicles
- Boats & lake vessels
| Month | Boda boda | Buses & minibus taxis (PSV) | Special hire & town taxis | Tourist vehicles | Boats & lake vessels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5,582 | 11,144 | 179 | 971 | 857 |
| 2021 | 11,782 | 12,126 | 109 | 1,198 | 595 |
| 2020 | 8,347 | 17,021 | 115 | 217 | 708 |
| 2019 | 12,530 | 16,049 | 547 | 589 | 127 |
| 2018 | 9,016 | 18,528 | 731 | 501 | 242 |
| 2017 | 5,032 | 17,325 | 1,021 | 197 | 114 |
| 2016 | 7,938 | 11,119 | 523 | 125 | 73 |
| 2015 | 2,483 | 15,316 | 774 | 38 | 129 |
| 2014 | 1,069 | 17,634 | 948 | 34 | 79 |
| 2013 | 1,569 | 15,572 | 964 | 107 | 196 |
More on roads, vehicles and passengers: Getting around Uganda
About these numbers
- Licences are those issued each year by the Transport Licensing Board; many boda bodas and taxis operate without one, so these are not counts of vehicles on the road. UBOS’s title says 2013–2023, but the table ends in 2022.
- Railway figures are for Uganda Railways Corporation. From 2021 several of its performance measures (wagon transit times, productivity) jump about tenfold at once, which looks like a change of units, so only freight tonnage, lake ferry cargo and accidents are shown.
- Air cargo is freight through Entebbe International Airport: “loaded” leaves Uganda, “off-loaded” arrives.