Inside the Global Bus Scare: Passengers Recount How They Escaped Unhurt at Buyaaya

A routine journey from Mbarara to Kampala turned into a terrifying ordeal on Sunday after the front tyre of a Global Bus, registration number UAZ 247E, reportedly came off at Buyaaya along the Masaka Highway.

The bus had departed Mbarara at about 10:15 a.m., with passengers settling into what appeared to be an ordinary journey to Kampala.

Inside the bus, passengers were engaged in different activities. Some were chatting, others were using their phones, while groups engaged in conversations about relationships, family and everyday life.

At one point, two women got into a quarrel, adding some tension to an otherwise lively journey.

Nobody inside the bus expected that the mood would change so dramatically.

Panic on the highway As the bus approached Buyaaya, passengers suddenly realised that the front tyre had come off.

The development triggered panic inside the vehicle as passengers feared that the bus could lose control, overturn or collide with another road user.

However the, driver managed to maintain control despite the tyre coming off. The bus continued for about 300 metres on the wheel without the tyre before eventually coming to a stop.

Inside the bus, fear quickly replaced the earlier conversations. Passengers were heard calling on the Lord for help, while others cried out about their families.

Some were heard saying, “We still have children,” while others shouted, “We are newly married.”

The emotional reactions reflected the terrifying realisation that what had started as an ordinary journey could potentially end in tragedy.

The struggle to get out Even after the driver brought the bus to a stop, the situation remained chaotic.

A commotion broke out as passengers struggled to get out of the bus, with many rushing to leave the vehicle and reach safety.

Some passengers helped others as they moved out, while others appeared shaken by what had just happened. Once outside, passengers began checking on one another and trying to understand how the incident had occurred.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported. “How would our bodies reach home?” It was after getting out of the bus that two passengers from Arua, who had travelled from Mbarara, reflected on how close the incident had come to becoming a tragedy.

Although they were travelling towards Kampala, their thoughts immediately turned to their families back home in Arua. One chilling question captured the gravity of the moment: “If this had been fatal, how would our dead bodies reach in Arua?”

The question underscored the seriousness of the scare and the fear of what their families would have faced had the bus crashed.

Fortunately, the journey did not end in tragedy. A journey that changed in seconds The Buyaaya incident demonstrated how quickly the atmosphere inside a passenger bus can change.

Just minutes earlier, passengers were laughing, talking about relationships, using their phones and going about their normal activities. The quarrel between the two women was simply another unexpected moment during the journey.

Then the tyre came off. The conversations stopped. Passengers began praying and crying out for help as everyone focused on survival. After the bus stopped and passengers safely exited, relief gradually replaced panic.

For the passengers aboard UAZ 247E, the journey from Mbarara to Kampala, which began at around 10:15 a.m., became an experience they are unlikely to forget.

The incident also raises concerns about vehicle maintenance and road safety, particularly the importance of regular tyre inspections for long-distance passenger buses.

While no injuries were reported, the incident serves as a reminder that a mechanical failure on a busy highway can quickly become life-threatening.

For the passengers who experienced the scare, what mattered most was that everyone walked away alive.