New regulations that require all taxicabs to install and use taximeters all the time to determine how much passengers should pay have been greeted with mixed reactions from the public.

While many cab drivers who spoke to The New Times questioned the effectiveness of the devices given that passengers are used to negotiating the fare, while some passengers say they are forced to pay more when they travel long distances.

The new rules came into force effective June 1 with heavier fines in case of default.

A taximeter is a device that calculates fare based on distance travelled and the waiting time.

The regulators, Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority (Rura), say they  adopted the measures after sustained complaints by members of the public that cab drivers were fleecing them off since it was difficult to measure distance covered.

Rura has set Rwf1,500 for distance that does not exceed three kilometers and Rwf500 for every additional kilometer.

For cabs that operate at the Kigali International Airport, it’s Rwf1800 for up to three kilometers and Rwf600 for every extra kilometer.

Now some of the people who frequently use taxicabs say that, while the meters are good to employ over short distances since they indicate less than what the driver would otherwise have demanded, the opposite is true during longer distances.

And that has become a bone of contention as some passengers have contested the amount indicated by the meter, insisting on paying less.

"Passengers want to use the meters selectively and that’s a problem,”Emmanuel Mpayimana, a cabdriver based at CHUK in Nyarugenge,  told this newspaper.

For example, he said, a taximeter will indicate Rwf12, 500 from downtown Kigali to Kabuga but no passenger will accept to pay that, they don’t want to pay more than Rwf10,000.

Some cabdrivers also say that meters generally indicate less prices than should be the case.

Cabdrivers are also concerned that RURA was yet to fix the fare for waiting time leaving drivers struggling to convince passengers to include that fee in the total amount.

Emmanuel Asaba Katabarwa, the head of transport department at RURA, admitted that the fare for the waiting time was yet to be fixed but promised they would soon address the issue.

He also said that the requirement for cabs to be fitted with taximeters was first adopted two years ago only that the regulators are now moving to enforce it, and this time round default attracts heavier penalties.

Effective June 1, a cabdriver without a meter or with a faulty one faces a fine of Rwf200,000, twice as much as the previous fine.

Mediatrice Uwase, a city businesswoman and a frequent user of cabs, welcomed the introduction of taximeters, saying however, that she prefers them while making short trips.

"I travel around the city in cabs several times every day but I can’t use a cab that does not have a taximeter,” she said. "However, I have since realised that I actually pay more when I cover a longer distance, say five kilometres and above.”

Emmanuel Kamanzi, a city resident who hires a cab at least three times a week, said, during a recent trip from Kigali to Rubavu, he ended up quarrelling with a cabdriver after he printed a receipt indicating Rwf89,000, yet he used to pay Rwf75,000.

"It’s either we negotiate as has always been the case or no more cabs for me, especially on long journeys,” he said.

Another frequent traveller, Emmanuel Ruhongeka, said he was surprised last week  to receive a taximeter bill of Rwf23,500 on a distance for which he always paid Rwf15,000.

"Installing taximeters is a good thing but only for short distances. I recently hired a cab from the city centre to Nyabugogo and offered to pay Rwf3,000, but on arrival the meter was showing Rwf2,000, I ended up paying more”.

The next day, Ruhongeka added, he took a cab to Muhanga after agreeing to pay Rwf30,000 to and fro and, at the end of the day, the meter calculated Rwf50,000.

A cabdriver who operates around Amahoro National Stadium in Remera, who did not want to reveal his identity, said he preferred not to use the meter as the basis for determining fair but negotiations, especially since passengers are only cooperative when they make short distances.

"If I negotiated with a passenger I may get paid Rwf5,000 from here (at Amahoro) to the airport, yet with the meter I could end up getting paid only Rwf1,500,” he said.

Innocent Ndikuriyo, the chairperson of Kicukiro cabdrivers union, said there is need to overhaul all the fares because there are factors that were never considered while setting the current rates.

"There is need to factor in cases like traffic jams, poor roads, difficult terrains and waiting time,” he said, adding that they had contacted Rura requesting for a meeting over these and other issues.

He also questioned the rationale of having taximeters operational even when one is transporting family members or other people that won’t be paying, adding that sometimes drivers tend to uninstall the devices because they are targeted by thieves.

But Rura’s Asaba warned that installing the devices and ensuring they are functioning accordingly was not optional.