The new fleet of (blue) buses in Kigali seems to be doing a good job of contributing to solving the woes of commuters in the capital. ALSO READ: Inside Rwanda's first full electric public buses Queues at the bus stops appear to be getting shorter, at least from what I’ve seen at the local bus stop where I live. I’ve heard people say the same about even the bus terminals that, until recently, have been notorious for long lines of passengers, who have had to endure long, arduous waits for a bus. So, good things already are happening after the Infrastructure Ministry-imported buses – about a hundred of them initially – hit Kigali’s roads, to add to other vehicles already in service. I’ve heard a couple of long-suffering commuters in my neighborhood express relief and happiness at the change in their lives. They will be happier knowing that about two hundred other buses are on the way. ALSO READ: Five things to know about new buses Still, much as the initiative by the authorities to import them (and selling them to private operators) was a great, timely idea, I think no number of buses can ever fully solve the public transportation needs of a young, rapidly growing city like Kigali, one whose current population stands at 1.3 million – up from less than a million a couple of decades ago. A growing city’s transportation needs, especially one that’s becoming a real metropolis like ours, can only be successfully met through introduction of forms of public transportation other than the buses, taxis, or motos we are used to. I think the time is ripe for a light rail system in our capital. Kigali will be best served building such a system, that is, if we want to avoid our roads turning into a chaotic nightmare of constant traffic jams (with all the attendant problems) in the near future. And make no mistake, the feared chaos will happen however many new buses are imported, or however many new roads are upgraded and widened. The good news is that, at policy-making level, they are starting to have a conversation about rail. Personally, I say kudos to them that they are thinking along those lines, whatever the daunting challenges involved, including the costs and resources it would take. In my humble opinion only a light rail system, one run by a local government (such as the City of Kigali), would comprehensively sort the kind of public transportation woes that are getting worse in the capital, and environs. Other than that, a light rail transit system checks so many of our development goals that it’s imperative – at least at this point in time – for city authorities to start dispatching technocrats to cities overseas where this mode of mass transit is the norm, to conduct studies in preparation for its introduction here. For starters the presence of such a system in Kigali, besides the purpose of ferrying huge numbers of people in the most efficient ways, will be a boon for the environment, with light rail – which runs on electricity – being one of the “greenest” modes of public transport. It fits perfectly with Rwanda’s ambitions of a green future, which involves displacing such agents of pollution as old, near-ramshackle vehicles, as well as the hordes of motos in the capital. The way it would work however is, there would be no need for the authorities to place any bans on polluting vehicles – including old public transportation minibuses like the “kwasiteri”, private vehicles in dangerous mechanical conditions, or the motos. They would phase themselves out as, first of all, no commuter with a better option of getting somewhere would still opt to use such, if clean, punctual trains are available as an option. And we aren’t even talking of other factors such as the safety of passengers. It is well-known that in Kigali we mostly use motorcycles out of a lack of choice, if we need to get to destinations quickly and on time. But they are a nightmare for their propensity to crash, or to be involved in dangerous accidents. With a clean, efficient light rail system plying Kigali’s routes, say Nyamirambo to City Center; City Center (maybe with a terminal in Mateus) to Remera and Kabeza; Mateus to Nyabugogo, and more, masses of Kigalians would have less need for dangerous means of transportation – including old, tired private cars – to commute to their places of work. In short, motos, as well as old kwasiteris would slowly phase themselves out, the way twegerane minivans did. Those that have been operating these means of transportation could be retrained, to compete for jobs on the new light rail system – a win win for all. Beyond the conveniences a light rail system brings about, it would be the biggest one-shot boost to the quality of life of masses of the capital’s residents. Think of the stress it would save the average commuter if we had a rail system that operates on reliable time schedules: the time it would save that one otherwise would waste standing around, in the blazing sun, waiting for a bus; the time that working parents would spend with their kids; or single people on socializing, or doing other useful things... Now, when one thinks of the new public infrastructural projects, or facilities coming up in Kigali and environs, one realizes that in fact the need for a rail system of any kind is an urgent one. Take the new, ultra-modern international airport under construction in Bugesera – a mega project scheduled for completion in a couple of years that’s (initially) expected to handle up to a million passengers annually. With the multitudes of international travelers entering or exiting Rwanda through the airport, a light rail line to our new gateway to the world maybe is a top priority? I am pretty certain the policy makers overseeing the project have thought of the transportation needs to and from the airport, but a good argument for a light rail line, with gleaming carriages, to our new airport would indeed be a demonstration of Rwanda’s seriousness as a modernizing country. Now, when it comes to a place like the new Amahoro Stadium, I think a line there is seriously necessary in the future, if real chaos on big match days, say the APR, Rayon derby, is to be avoided. Have you ever seen forty-five thousand plus people pour out of a stadium? Without good planning for how to get them to, and from there, well, there will be pandemonium. The crowds pouring out of the sports venue will paralyze businesses around the stadium, for hours. There will be an unholy gridlock of vehicles, with cars unable to move as people pour into surrounding roads, clogging them. Rail lines do the best job of delivering to, or evacuating people from big crowd events. Our national stadium would best be well-served with one. One could go on and on. The sheer number of good arguments to be made for a light rail system outweigh all other practical considerations to getting it done. And then let’s not forget that we have a reputation, as a country, for achieving big things. Let’s get this one done too!
