The Ministry of Works and Transport in partnership with Telecom Providers led by MTN MoMo Uganda Ltd has launched a Mobile Money payment service for toll fees on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway. The service is an addition to the existing payment options at the Expressway, including cash and the cashless NFC card.
Launched today at the Kajjansi Toll Plaza in Kampala, the new service will give motorists an opportunity to conveniently pay their toll fees at the Toll Lanes directly from their mobile phones, reducing reliance on cash and creating a more seamless tolling experience.
Lanes 4 and 5 at all three Toll Plazas in Busega, Kajjansi and Mpala have been designated as the lanes through which Mobile Money toll transactions will be made.
The solution is part of the Ministry’s broader strategy to transition toll payments to purely cashless payments through Automated Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) across Uganda’s transport ecosystem.
While addressing the media, Eng. Dr. Timothy Tibesigwa, the Ag. Engineer-in-Chief at the Ministry of Works and Transport says the move is in a bid to improve efficiency and convenience for road users while embracing technology in Uganda’s transport infrastructure.
“The Kampala-Entebbe Expressway is a vital artery of Uganda’s transport network, and as usage grows, we must continue to find ways of making the experience more efficient and convenient for road users. Introduction of Mobile toll payments at the Toll Lanes is an interim measure which represents the initial phase in the transition towards the broader Electronic Toll Collection System (ETC) envisaged for implementation soon. The Ministry pledges to continually modernize the tolling experience for road users and provide a multiple range of cashless payment channels. Mobile money is therefore an important step in this direction and we appreciate the efforts of MTN MoMo and other stakeholders in this collaboration. We look forward to greater technological innovations in this regard to cater for pre-payments, pre-classifications, self-service options to mention but a few”, Tibesigwa says.
While launching the service, Jemima Kariuki, MTN MoMo Uganda’s Chief Products Officer, said that the introduction of mobile toll payments demonstrates how digital financial services can simplify everyday experiences beyond traditional mobile money transactions.
“Mobile money has become an essential part of how Ugandans pay, transfer and manage their money, and we are now extending that convenience into the transport experience. The process is simple, fast and designed to take only a few seconds. More importantly, this is about using strategic partnerships and technology to remove friction from everyday transactions and make digital payments an increasingly natural part of how we move, work and live.”
For motorists, the experience is deliberately simple. Upon reaching Toll Lanes 4 or 5, the motorist will provide their mobile number to the toll agent, receive a payment prompt on their phone and authorize the transaction using their Mobile Money PIN. Once payment is confirmed, the toll gate opens. The technology deployed to support the service is designed to facilitate near-instant payment confirmation, allowing motorists to complete the transaction within seconds, providing motorists with another convenient electronic option for paying toll fees.
Ivan Katamba, the Road manager from Pinnacle Security Limited, the operators of the the Kampala Entebbe Expressway, welcomed the service saying that the lack of a mobile payment option has been a pain point to many expressway users. Katamba said that this service will improve the expressway user experience.
The UPESI Card remains one of the available cashless payment options for motorists across all lanes, alongside the newly enabled mobile payment option. The range of payment methods gives road users greater flexibility while supporting the gradual shift from cash-based transactions to more efficient digital alternatives.
