Officials at Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (Rura), say the city public transport operators are meeting their expectation and delays at bus stops could end soon. The remarks were made after 35 more buses (60 seater) for the Kigali Bus Services (KBS) and Royal Express respectively reached the country as part of the deal the companies signed with Rura and the City of Kigali (CoK) to cater for city public transport. In August 2013, three companies including KBS, Royal Express and the Rwanda Federation of Transport Cooperatives (RFTC) signed a five-year contract to improve public transport, by sorting out issues of delays at bus stages, and abuse of the passengers by the bus crew among others. The contract required bringing in more buses and reducing waiting time for passengers to a maximum of five minutes during peak hours and fifteen minutes at off-peak hours. Emmanuel Katabarwa, the official in charge of the transport department in Rura said on Wednesday that with 20 more buses, KBS now boasts of 197 vehicles which is way above the 142 buses required in the contract. “We plan to keep the momentum and even expect people with private cars to opt for public transport,” Katabarwa said. “Our target is to build confidence where passengers know that when they reach a bus stop and find the bus is full, the maximum time they would wait for another bus is five minutes,” noted Nille Muneza, the Royal Express boss, whose buses connect Nyabugogo and the city centre to Kicukiro. Muneza said so far passengers on a stage can find a bus within a maximum of seven minutes. However, Jean Bosco Ntirenganya, a resident of Kacyiru said companies should concentrate on the rush hours to avoid delays. Brendah Uwubuntu, from Kabeza, Kicukiro District, said she was obliged to board a motorbike last week after waiting for a bus for about 20 minutes in vain. “Buses are more organised than never before. There is however need for more concentration during rush hours,” she said. Katabarwa said they need to have data on regular increase of passengers so as to serve them better. He said this will be achieved once passengers pay their fare using electronic cards.
