Trinity Express Limited, a Kigali based bus company is set to start operating Kigali-Dar es Salaam route, company officials have said.

According to Col. (Rtd) Twahirwa Dodo, the managing director, Trinity Express Limited, they will start operating Kigali-Dar es Salaam route effective May.

It is also part of the company’s expansion strategy to tap into regional integration business opportunities, Twahirwa, said.

"We are in final stages of preparations and expect to start operating this particular route by May this year.  We are very confident that the decision will help connect Rwanda with the coast line thus opening more opportunities for our business community,” Twahirwa told The New Times in an exclusive interview yesterday.

He also revealed that plans to expand operations to Goma, Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Bujumbura in Burundi before the year ends are in the pipeline.

"We have already placed orders for more equipment,” he said.

Though it’s not yet clear how much a ticket to Dar es Salaam will cost on this particular bus, it’s obvious the company wants to flex its business muscle in the region. 

"Our long term vision is to strengthen and foster the company’s foot print in the region while creating more jobs for Rwandans and East Africans in general,” he added.

The company is already operating a 24 bus fleet along Kigali – Kampala route and employs more than 100 people.

The decision comes at a time when government is looking for ways to position Rwanda as a logistics hub in the region.

Private sector welcomes initiative

"We welcome the decision as the best alternative means of transport, especially  for those who cannot afford  to fly to Dar,  It will also  help reduce the cost of doing business between two countries,” Antoine Manzi, the director of advocacy at Private Sector Federation (PSF), said.

According to Diana Murekatete, a business woman and regular traveler, the initiative is a big relief that will help boost trade along the central corridor.

"It’s a testimony to how Rwanda’s private sector is positioning itself to benefit from growing trade within the region,” she said.

Last year, Trinity Express Limited transported more than 1.5 million passengers between Kigali and Kampala.

And as EAC partner states move towards  implementing the common market protocol, cross border trade is projected to increase, thus the need for more efficient and cost effective means of transport.

 Currently, only two transport operators including government’s Onatracom operate the  Kigali–Kampala route.

And plans by government to revamp Onatracom are also under way.