Effective Saturday, March 16, commuters in Kigali will have to dig deeper into their pockets to afford the increased transport fares.
Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority announced on Tuesday that extra fees of between Rwf50-100 on Kigali bus destinations and increased prices for upcountry routes.
The authority also launched new bus routes including Nyanza Bus Park-Gahanga-Nunga, Masaka-15-Special Economic Zone, Masaka-Rusheshe, Giti Kinyoni-Nyabugogo, Nyabugogo-Karuruma-Jali, Nyacyonga-Masoro, Nyacyonga-Rutunga, Gasanze-Birembo-Kinyinya, and Bumbogo-Kimironko,
The announcement was made on Tuesday, March 12th on the official ‘X’ account of RURA, where photos showing the new charges as per the routes were posted.
According to Jimmy Gasore, Minister of Infrastructure in Rwanda, this new development was long overdue as it was supposed to be enacted in October 2020, however, it was halted as the government stepped in with subsidies for passengers who were just recovering from the effects of COVID-19.
The government has been subsidizing the transport sector with an average of 40-50 percent to cushion a sector that has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By scraping off these subsidies, beneficiary sectors are expected to self-sustain. Additionally, Rwf10 per journey that was allocated to the internet provided on the bus was scrapped from the transport charges.
The public’s response to these changes is mixed as some commuters understand the need for the adjustments given the global economic fluctuations caused by the pandemic, while some attribute the drastic change to the newly acquired buses saying it’s fair that the fares were increased, as they no longer have to spend hours in the queue.
On the other hand, some students, specifically those who commute from Kicukiro to Downtown, complain that the extra of almost Rwf100 that was added is likely to affect their school attendance.
However, according to Gasore, they are considering a system that will allow passengers to pay per trip and not for the bus route.
As Kigali continues to evolve and grow, so is the transport system. In the last months, the city has acquired 100 new buses and new transport companies came on board to ease movements within the city.