The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) has issued a rallying call to investors to introduce more buses in a bid to end public transport woes in the City of Kigali.

The call was issued by the regulator in a statement released on Wednesday, August 3.

According to RURA, there is a huge deficit and high demand for buses on Kigali roads, yet the number of passengers keep increasing.

This has led to long queues in bus parks and at different bus stops in the city, a situation that worsens during peak hours – early morning when people are commuting to work and late in the evening as they return home.

This, the regulator said has, since January, necessitated the government to issue a tender for investors to address public transport challenges.

"We therefore would like to thank investors who have now introduced their buses and those that are set to start operations next week,” reads part of the statement.

However, "We also take this opportunity to call for more investors with public buses,” the statement added.

Investors are expected to apply through www.rura.com and proceed with online services.

It is not the first time Kigali is experiencing a public transport crisis. For far some time now, the issue of public transport clouds the media space, and over time, different measures have been suggested but it persists. 

For passengers, the experience is worse during peak hours mainly in the morning and evening.

In a recent interview with the national broadcaster, Emmanuel Katabarwa, the city engineer disclosed that there is currently a deficit of 271 buses based on demand, and that there is also a need for more 500 buses to put an end to the existing challenges.

Currently, three transport companies; Royal Express, Kigali Bus Service and Jali Transport Limited, which is formerly Rwanda Federation of Transport Cooperatives (RFTC).

Each company was allocated different city routes which they exclusively service.