Until two months ago, operating a bicycle-taxi on Kigali’s pristine paved roads was considered illegal. Often, Police would engage in a cat and mouse chase with cyclists, detaining many and impounding bicycles. Not anymore.

The road connecting the Sonatubes area to suburban Niboye Sector in Kicukiro bustles with traffic. The incessant ringing of bicycles-taxi bells adds to the cacophony.

But this spectacle is not a preserve of Kicukiro. Bicycle-taxis are now common in many city suburbs.

Both the Police and City of Kigali (CoK) authorities, when contacted to comment, said they have no problem with the cyclists who mostly ferry passengers and their luggage.

Valence Hakizimana, 22, is one of the over 160 cyclists plying their trade on the Niboye Road.

In his three-year stint as a cyclist, he had been imprisoned twice but would still risk re-arrest upon release by resuming business. All for the Rwf100 he charged each passenger he                               carried.

"I do not plan to quit this job unless the government bans bicycles again.”

He started off riding a bicycle owned by a neigbour but he now rides his own Indian-made ‘Hero’ bike, which looks dirty and already battered despite being just a year old.

 Hakizimana says he makes an average of Rwf2500, enough to allow him fend for his family.

"With this money, I am able to save and pay school fees. In fact, I advise my fellow youth to venture into this business. A new bicycle costs around Rwf120, 000,” he said.

A source at the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (Rura), a body charged with regulating public transport, among others  when contacted, said it did not regulate commuter bicycles. Despite this, however, cyclists say traffic police expects them to follow road traffic rules like everyone else.

Bicycles and motorcycles have in the recent past been blamed by authorities for the high number of traffic accidents, something that has informed previous bans.

The Niboye-Sonatube road is narrow, it should ideally be a one way route but it’s a two-way street. Cyclists have to compete for space with commuter coasters that keep on stopping to pick passengers, speeding private cars and motorbikes as well as pedestrians.

"It’s very risky at times to sit on those bicycles and whenever I use them, I am filled with thoughts of being knocked by a car,” said Prudence Byosenimana, a Niboye resident who has used a bicycle taxi before.

 Unlike pedestrians who have sidewalks, Rwandan roads don’t have bicycle lanes and so cyclists have to be part of the main traffic fray. They wear no helmets nor are their bikes equipped with indicators.

Sylvere Ngendahayo, another cyclist on the Niboye tarmac stretch, complains that car drivers and taxi-motor riders often bully them.

"They ignore our bells and rather than give way, a few pop out their heads through their car windows to sneer at us,” Ngendahayo says.

None of the cyclists interviewed had a permit or insurance for themselves, the bicycles or thirdparty for their passengers, which means that one hitches a ride on these bikes at their own risk.

But the Spokesperson for Traffic Police Department CIP Emmanuel Kabanda said in a phone interview that they only intervene when these cyclists "cause chaos” on the road.

He, however, did not divulge the details, but added that there will be no more police chases.

The spokesperson for the City of Kigali, Bruno Rangira, said in a brief telephone interview that he saw nothing wrong with bicycle taxis. "As far as the City of Kigali is concerned, there is no regulation stopping bicycle taxis from operating on city roads,’’ Rangira said. 

Cyclist saving schemes

Meanwhile, as authorities debate the future of bicycles, cyclists are working on ways to improve their welfare.

"We have formed group saving schemes to which we remit Rwf1,000 daily. When these accumulate, we hand over a substantial amount to one member and the cycle continues,” said Vedaste Nizeyimana, a member of one such saving schemes.

With an average daily income of Rwf2,500, riders live above the poverty line of a dollar a day.

Despite the risks of having bicycles on the roads, allowing these young men to earn a peaceful living also helps authorities reduce on urban crime which many of these fellows could otherwise be engaged with for lack of what to do.

Many of the men engaged in this trade are school dropouts and without employable skills, so finding well paying job is almost impossible for most of them.

"I would have no alternative but to beg on the streets because my previous job earned me peanuts. Almost all the income I received was spent on transport,” Nizeyimana said.

And with Christmas around the corner, many of the young men on the Niboye road are saving for the holiday festivities. They can now plan for a new wardrobe and enough pocket money for outings without having to worry about being detained by the cops.

"We thank the President for his intervention, it has revived our hopes,” says Hakizimana.

According to unspecified reports, it was President Kagame who ordered that cyclists be left alone to ply their trade.

But what is on the record is that while in Parliament for a recent swearing-in ceremony, the President made some general comments regarding the rising road accidents and asked officials responsible to investigate their causes. He added that while bicycles had been blamed for the accidents, it might not be the case.