PAULUS KAYIGGWA & JOSEPH MUDINGU investigate Kigali’s new bus shelters. At the beginning of this month, something new started happening in Kigali. Bus stop shelters began popping up all over the place. 

The aim is to protect passengers from the weather while they wait for taxis, explains Jean-marie Rutanga, managing director of African Business Company that won the construction tender.

The shelters are built with shaded benches and space for advertising or transit messages. Rutanga said they have so far built 20 shelters fully equipped with lights and plans are under way to complete another 12 which will make a total of 32.

He revealed that the idea came from Europe particularly Switzerland where shelters assist stranded passengers.
"I went and presented my proposal to the city council and after sometime they forwarded me to the district authorities who approved and endorsed it,” he said.

The construction began with Gasobo district and later it will extend to other districts like Nyarugenge and Kicukiro.
The move is to make passengers feel safer at night while at the same time offering a space for advertising.

"We believe it would be helpful to passengers we see waiting for the taxis and shivering in the wind during rainy seasons,” said Rutanga.

"It is one way of easing people’s way of life yet at the same time creating opportunities for companies to boost their trade,” he added.

As per the contract, African Business Company is supposed to provide specious shelters with light shades to ensure greater passenger comfort.

And indeed most of the newly installed shelters have lights and are spaciously built to accommodate a bigger number of people.

The managing director told the Sunday Times that the cost of constructing a shelter ranges from Frw 4 to 5 million depending on the shape, size and materials used for the structure.

He further said that after making them, African Business convinces other companies to come and book space for their adverts on these shelters at a negotiable fee.

"Rwandatel is using the first lot that we built to carry its message to the masses. We have also entered into a contract with Eco-Bank for the new relatively large shelters,” Rutanga explained.

He added that these contracts are negotiable and the period for advertisement could vary from one mouth onwards and after which more other companies are free to come in and enter into a contract with the company to advertise on these shades.

"Busy tax shelters tend to attract more advertisement massages because of the turnover of people around this point,” he said.

Saba Hakizimana of Map, the sub-contraction company that is currently putting up the shelters, said that they were supposed to have been done a week ago but the materials like cables for cash power were not readily available and the company had to send someone abroad for them.

"It involves a lot of technical work to the extent that even our expert’s work at night to beat the deadline and rain has been a major obstacle to our progress,” he said.

Hakizimana further revealed that they install these shades with cash power meters that have a sensor which monitors and switches on lights when it gets dark and vice-versa.

The company has six experts involved in building and the rest are temporary workers and paid on a daily basis.

Jane Mukaneza a business lady in Nyabugogo, acknowledged the development and said that passengers most especially the young and aging have been suffering a lot from sunshine and rains from these points waiting for taxis.

"Well this is really an achievement, after a tiresome day at work, one can wait for a taxi comfortably with a place to sit,” Mukaneza said.

She further said that tax stages are now safer at night hours than they were.  She also explained that it is now easier to identity taxi stands.

Stella Mutesi, a student of Kigali institute of education (KIE), however said that the recently installed tax shelters have already attracted the attention of vandals.

People are using the already existing shelters which are meant to offer shade for passengers as meeting places and hide outs to pass time, she said.

Mutesi said that one shelter at Chez Lando which carries Rwandatel adverts is looking decidedly the most targeted because the stage is among the busiest in the city.

"Passengers waiting for taxis in these shades have to pay extra attention to their belongings,” she cautioned.

Aisha Mukamusoni said that some people are using the shelters as places to smoke.  "I think it's extremely inconsiderate for people to smoke inside of these tax shelters,’ Mukamusoni said.

Others were worried that failure to maintain these shelters can end up killing the beauty of the city. "If only they would finish and maintain these shelters, then we shall really appreciate their efforts.

But some shelters like the one at Rubangura stage in the city center was never finished, it has no roof, no sits and was never cemented which so much kills the beauty of the idea,” said Keisha Nambi a journalist in Kigali.

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