As you are all aware, the EPS scheme was introduced under Section 165 of the Traffic and Road Safety Act, 1998, to purposely manage minor traffic offenders. The primary objective of the scheme was to deter road users from committing offences, by levying express penalties, that would help to decongest courts. The EPS ticket has 25 codes for traffic offences, whose fines vary, depending on the traffic offence committed. The codes range from Ugx 20.000/= to Ugx 200.000/=, which the offender has to pay or clear within 28 days. Motorists are advised, to carefully read the tickets issued to them, and follow instructions therein. It is essential that one pays their ticket in a timely manner, as payment automatically leads to closure of the offence.
Those who do not know their EPS status, can cross check it, by downloading the UPF Mobi App, on an Android Smartphone and check for it up. Motorists can also go to the nearest traffic office, and check for the EPS status while at the station, any traffic officer, with an EPS tracking gadget, can check if your driving permit has an EPS ticket pending payment or not. Arrangements are also in place by the Directorate of ICT, on how to rejuvenate the short SMS code in coordination with the Uganda Communications Commission.
If you establish that you have a pending EPS ticket, please go to the bank and pay the traffic fine using the EPS Ticket, or on mobile money, Pay way or any Agent banking dealer. Do not ignore to pay a traffic ticket because it is an obligation for a traffic violator or defaulter, to respond to a traffic ticket within the stipulated time. Failure to do so, you will be deemed guilty by the law. As a result, one may face a surcharge for late payment of 50%, or have their motor vehicle impounded, their driving licence not renewed, pending clearance of the traffic ticket or taken to court. All these actions may be very inconvenient, disruptive or costly.
You must all remember, that police records are very well kept. Those who think they can avoid payment of the traffic ticket, are totally wrong. For instance, we have records of all traffic defaulters/violators to the pending EPS arrears of Ugx 8bn. It is against this background, that we are reminding all traffic penalty defaulters to clear their payments. We are commencing operations to crack down on all traffic penalty defaulters, on Monday 22.08.2022. The operations will target vehicles with unpaid EPS tickets, during the stop and search traffic operations, as well as tracking them from the CCTV camera centres. We also have plans of publishing the list of EPS defaulters in the print and electronic media.
At any stage, a traffic defaulter will find him or herself, involved with the police, who will arrest or impound their vehicle. Defaulters do not have a choice but to clear their arrears. Imagine if you are a driver who lives or earns by driving, its your way of life, you need to protect, your job, by jealously guarding your driving record.
If you think, petition and present your case to the EPS tracking unit, at the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, at Nateete Police Headquarters, for further review or any other inquiry. You can also call our toll-free number 0800199099 for further information.
All in all, the EPS tickets have enabled police to track the driving performance of motorists in Uganda and to penalize bad drivers. The larger the infraction, the higher the fines, penalties and court action.
SCP Enanga Fred
Police Spokesperson
19th August 2022
