I never thought that this would be a very important posy until I was in a scenario where my destination was the cause of the heavy transport cost I incurred. Surprisingly this has been going on for quite a while but I had never noticed it.
Be good at bargaining
Many campus students haven’t learnt the art of haggling/bargaining hence they take whatever price is thrown at them, this way, they pay more than they could have paid had they bargained. Most times when a bajaj guy gives you a price, he expects you to bargain so if you don’t bargain, the loss is on you.
Decide to walk the distance
Walk, walk, walk! Take the simple exercise and walk from your MAK faculty to your hostel in Kikoni. Don’t be the lazy girl who takes a boda from Akamwesi to Makerere University Business School [MUBS]. By walking that distance that would have cost you about 1k you are reducing on your expenditure thus can use the money to do something else, say paint your nails.
Carefully define your destination
Be careful what you tell the bajaj guy, when you mention of hostels such as Olympia, Nana, expect to get an extra charge just because you are going to that hostel. “When you tell me you’re going to Olympia or Nana, I charge you heavily because people from those places are rich,” explained the bajaj guy I used on Sunday. So, if you’re going to Olympia say Bridgeton or any other hostel around, that way you might get charged less.
Get a moving bajaj/boda
It has been argued that stage bodas are quite more safe than moving bodas, but it should also be noted that stage bodas are more expensive than moving bodas. During day time, avoid stage bodas and save money and during night, for the sake of safety, use the stage bodas.
Be kind
There is a way being polite and kind trickles down the service provider’s heart hence charging you a little cheaply than they should have. When you are rude to a person offering you a service, they will charge you heavily and it doesn’t matter if it’s a boda guy or not.
That said, we know you are not rich enough to spend over 30,000 Ugx on transport every day, so do use the above tips and save some money.
