HYGIENE:Measure to prevent skin disease

HUYE – The recently re-introduced head-covers for motorcycle taxi users have triggered a row between motor-cycle taxi operators (Taxi-Moto and passengers in Huye. A cross section of passengers interviewed by The New Times complain that the taxis had hiked transport fares to cover the headgear’s cost.The cotton head cover, which is used for sanitary reasons, costs Rwf 40. "I cannot accept to pay the cost of the headgear because there are even no fixed transport fares for Taxi-Motos in this town. Each one charges you as he chooses. The headgear should be considered as part of the services that they offer rather than a burden to be borne by passengers,” said a woman who declined to be named. The operators, however, insist that passengers accept the additional cost. "Passengers are the ones who should bear the cost of this headgear otherwise we will encounter losses. The cost is very high and we cannot afford it,” said Emmanuel Ufiteyezu, a motorcycle taxi operator. "Giving a head cover to each passenger increases our expenditures, yet many of us are supposed to pay a fixed sum of money to our bosses at the end of the day. Unfortunately, passengers want us to cover the cost”.Eric Ngirumpatse, a security officer at the Huye Motorcyclists Cooperative, cautioned motorcycle taxi operators to desist from hiking transport fares on the pretext of recovering the cost of the headgear. "We have told our members that the cost of the headgear is to be covered by them. Everyone is aware of that,” he said. "Charging passengers extra fare is against the law,” he added. "Anyone who contravenes that order will be punished,” he warned.  Taxi Moto operators risk a fine of Rwf 10,000 if they don’t provide protective head gear to their clients.