EDITORIAL: New public transport fares: Operators should now improve service

Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) has announced a revised public transport tariff that will see an increase in fares for both passenger commuter buses and taxi cabs. RURA says the new fares seek to ensure the operators recoup their investments and also get some profit. The revision of the fares comes after almost three years, during which time there were several changes in determinants on the market such as fuel prices, as well as the cost of living and doing business in the country. That the fares remained constant is, therefore, part of a good economic policy that has the consumers at heart.Barring other compelling factors such as drastic fluctuations in fuel pump prices, the new fares will stay constant for at least another two years. Public transport operators have already welcomed the revision, but commuters are naturally expected to react differently. However, if the Rwf200 fare for commuting from Kimironko to Nyabugogo would be increasing to Rwf250, that wouldn’t be such a big difference. The public should look at it as a progressive way to take the country forward. But to get there, RURA and the public must demand improvement in public transport service delivery. In Kigali, especially, public transport providers must raise their game. There is need to reduce incidents of commuters having to queue for hours at bus stops or in taxi parks. Such things hurt not only individual but also national development as a lot of valuable time is wasted by the labour force in traffic. Similarly, the quest for digitization of Kigali must be continued with added impetus. RURA says, so far, less than 50 per cent of the buses that ply city routes have installed WiFi. But all buses are expected to have the services. This means authorities will have to step up other measures to enforce this. In special hire taxi service, there is a need to not only enforce the use of taxi meters but also to educate the public on their benefits. Only by improving service delivery will the upward revision of transport fares benefit both the transporters and passengers.

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EDITORIAL: New public transport fares: Operators should now improve service