NYARUGENGE - Kigali City Council (KCC) has finally given a green light to the Association of Commuter Taxis (ATRACO) to set up a temporary taxi park, behind the main bus terminal commonly known as ‘Kwa Rubangura’.

This comes after several attempts by the transporters’ body to establish the park were turned down by KCC on grounds that the taxi park would be constructed on a new site that falls within the Kigali City Masterplan.

Speaking to The New Times yesterday, the KCC Communications Director Bruno Rangira confirmed the development, saying that the decision was taken as one of the short term and long term plans to decongest the city centre of heavy traffic.

He said that the new location in the city centre will be a temporary terminal where passenger omnibuses which were initially parking at ‘Kwa Rubangura’ will be relocated for the time being as the city awaits the implementation of the Master Plan which provides for a number of terminals around the city.

The move is expected to reduce on the commotion caused by passengers and traffic during the peak hours.

The issue has lately become a national concern, with many cases of people being stranded in the mornings and evenings when city residents are commuting to and from their respective places of work.

According to Rangira, the City has developed and embarked on short, medium and long term plans to address transportation problems, with ATRACO coming in first to establish the new park expected to host about 200 taxis and buses.

Among other things, the City Council has earmarked two places within the Central Business District where modern bus terminals where buses and taxis ferrying people from satellite parks in different parts of the city will be parking.

Rangira revealed that the City Council will work with the transport body to develop a round-the clock timetable which all passenger vans and buses will be following in a bid to promote punctuality and time consciousness.

"It is part of the bigger plan to have all buses and taxis timed to work on a continuous circulation time-table as the practice in other modern cities. This will not only improve on time management but also help change the mentality of the people,” said Rangira.

The two parks will be established in Nyabugogo and near Sopetrad (poids lourds) while more satellite parks in Kanombe, Nyamirambo among others, will be constructed to supplement the already existent parks in Nyabugogo, Kimironko and Remera. 

Other long term plans by KCC includes importing bigger buses to operate in town service in order to reduce the congestion caused by many taxis plying the city centre.

However, when contacted, ATRACO boss Col. (Rtd) Twahirwa Dodo, could not confirm the development saying that they were yet to receive a formal approval from KCC.

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