Impressions: How I hate these taxis….

For God’s sake somebody tell me what happened to taxis and taxi men. These people are a pain be it in New York or Tokyo….and they love it I must say. Its their reputation, so somehow they have to keep the flag flying and Kigali is no exception. Ok, let’s break it down. Taxis, for those of you who may not know them, are these omni buses usually plying main roads for passengers. They carry people who don’t own private vehicles or have not had a chance to have company cars. These Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) are found in just about every country, so you can’t avoid them, unless of course you choose to walk all the way, but still that’s not a solution, the damn taxi will still slow down as you walk along the sidewalks and the conductor will taunt you in your peaceful walk ‘Twagiye Nyabugogo? You may continue walking on ignoring the fellow, then he will only shout harder, hoping that you didn’t hear his earlier shouts in the first place. Not apparently interested in taking the ride, you shake your head in disagreement and off they go, soon another one comes and in your mind you are like ‘didn’t you see the other one just passed?’ Gosh. Ever since I relocated to Kigali, I thought I was finally free from the whole chaos created by Taxis in Kampala. My Kampala experience of taxis is one hell of a story. Kampal Taxis are certified death traps.They have killed many people and nobody seems to care. We still board them freely , if we are lucky, we get home safe, head to church to thank the almighty and the routine continues day in day out. But is buying your own car the way out in Kampala? Wrong, taxis can go to the extremes of knocking your vehicle until its declared a moving scrap, or you might escape with just a reasonable scratch on your car body while thanking God almighty that you may just have escaped with your dear life. So what is Kigali’s experience? I was wrong; so far Kigali’s taxis are no exception. To me they are considerably smaller in number than those in Kampala but what makes it worse is the 4 per row arrangement. At least for Kampala, it is still 3 per row however much the taxis still irritate. I just can’t stand this squeezing. I now wish I was a few inches shorter because I hit my head on the roof every time I try to enter one. I have had my knees squeezed every morning and every evening and it’s just not fair. They are also not comfortable at all; sharp metals here and there have not spared several of my trousers. At least the busses (Coasters) are bit comfortable, if only I could avoid that middle seat, but I haven’t been lucky. Then another thing is the irritating drivers and conductors. These guys are made of the same blood and character wherever they are. If you doubt me try Russian taxi drivers. So pushy, so arrogant, so nagging. So why on earth would one pull me to show me where am supposed to go if they didn’t pull me out of bed to get onto the streets? Chances are that some of us may not know our next destinations, but what gives taxi touts the legal right to chose where am supposed to go next? Your guess is as good as mine. These fellows are very irritating. Just incase Mr. Taxi driver reads this by any chance, please tell the rest of the group that we dully appreciate your services (especially those of us who are still dreaming about buying cars) but we would appreciate more if you gave us some breathing space and of course the chance to choose our next destination. Contact: kagire_eddie@yahoo.com