Understanding Kigali’s transport challenges

At the beginning of last year I was privileged to be part of a small group of individuals who met officials from the City of Kigali to familiarise ourselves with the different development plans that the city authority had on their books. One of the major things we discussed was public transport in Kigali. It was realised that Kigali, as a modern city, could no longer be served by small commuter taxis, then referred to as Twegerane and Nyakatsi by some, or operate public transport using the ‘same old approach’. That’s why the city was divided into zones with transporters bidding to serve the zones with bigger capacity vehicles and in a more organised manner. The move was also part of modernising and improving public transport in Kigali to fit the ‘smart city’ status the authorities are promoting. Of course during the meeting some of things mentioned were a little Utopian like the requirement that buses should work from 5am up to 11pm and ensure that no passenger waits for more than 15 minutes for a taxi. That’s why service providers who have acquired bigger buses to ease transport around the city should be commended. The hours of operation have also increased tremendously. A few years back only people of Nyamirambo had the luxury of expecting a commuter taxi after 8pm. However, these days public transport remains available even after 10pm for most destinations within Kigali. There is, however, a big challenge during the rush-hour period, especially in the evenings where the queues are long and nerve wrecking. One has to find a way to stay busy in the queue so as not to ease the burden of waiting for up to 40 minutes or more at times. Many can be seen on their phones, making calls or scrolling through social media sites to pass time. Those who work late, like journalists, also find it hard finding taxis when they leave work and thus resort to cold and costly rides ‘at the back of taxi motos’. Why is this still the case despite the efforts by the city council and transport providers to improve public transport? I believe the answer to the above question can be found in mainly two explanations; the settlement pattern of the city, and the general lifestyle of Kigali dwellers. Keen watchers of the sector say some parts of Kigali like Remera, Kimironko, Kicukiro and Nyamirambo/Kimisagara are heavily settled, which affects traffic flow since more vehicles will be heading to these routes at any given time of the day. Buses using these routes have to contend with the traffic maze, meaning it will take longer on the route and then make a return journey for those waiting in queues. Absence of special bus lanes means that a bus from Nyabugogo to Kimironko will take much longer to reach its destination and compete for space with other motorists while making regular stops. The night life and working hour flexibility in Kigali is also still wanting, especially on weekdays. Almost everyone leaves office and heads home at about the same time, with few people, if at all, travelling in the opposite direction or waiting to go home later. As if that is not enough, the current road works going on close to the main taxi and bus park terminal at Nyabugogo have also interrupted the smooth flow of traffic. Nyabugogo area is known to have heavy traffic on any given day. This has been complicated by the works on the drainage system and on the Gatsata section of the Kigali-Gatuna road. On Sundays you are likely to find long queues in Nyabugogo in the evening again. It appears many commuter car owners park their cars on that day or rent them out, creating some form on scarcity. At the end of it all, we shall need more buses, more flexibility in the working hours by the operators and hope that someday all Rwandans will not be rushing to ‘flee’ the city after work, creating a sort of ‘clogged one-way’ traffic movement. I think if the public transport buses ensured comfort of passengers, maybe more city dwellers could be convinced to park their cars and use public transport. It is all a work in progress, though. Blog: www.ssenyonga.wordpress.com Twitter: @ssojo81