Passengers travelling by public buses in Kigali will pay fare based on the distance travelled under a new system set to be piloted, the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) announced on Monday, December 2. With the current payment system, passengers pay a flat fee for the entire route a bus covers in one trip. The new payment system had long been under consideration, after calls from the public for a fairer system. ALSO READ: Five ways bus lanes will improve Kigali public transport The pilot for the distance-based fare system will commence on Wednesday, the regulator said in a statement, adding that it will be piloted on the Nyabugogo-Kabuga and Downtown-Kabuga routes. “This approach is designed to promote equity and fairness in public transport fare systems. To ensure accurate billing, passengers will be required to tap in when boarding the buses and tap out at the end of their trip to avoid being charged for the full route,” RURA said in the statement, which also included the fare to be paid per kilometre. COMMUNIQUE on the pilot for the Distance-Based Fare set to commence on 4th December 2024 on the Nyabugogo-Kabuga and Downtown-Kabuga routes. pic.twitter.com/s14TpAa60O — Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority - RURA (@RURA_RWANDA) December 2, 2024 It indicated that from one to two kilometres, a passengers will pay Rwf182, then it will increase as the number of kilometres go up to reach Rwf388 for 10 kilometres, Rwf730 for 20 kilometres, and Rwf855 for 25 kilometres. For instance, under the new system, passengers will pay from Downtown to Remera bus station (10km), up from the current Rwf307. From Downtown to Rwandex (6km), passengers will pay Rwf274will, down from Rwf307. For Downtown-Kanogo (3km) passengers will pay Rwf205, down from the current from Rwf307. Sonatube-Prince House (2km) the fare will be Rwf182 from Rwf30. Nyabugogo-Kuri 12 (14km) the fare will decrease to Rwf543 from Rwf741. Remera-Kuri 12 (3km) will see a drop in fare to Rwf205 from Rwf420, while for Nyabugogo-Kabuga (25km) passengers will pay Rwf855 from Rwf741. The statement pointed out that RURA and City of Kigali staff will be present at bus stations and bus stops to assist passengers and facilitate the smooth implementation of the pilot. All passengers are requested to collaborate and provide feedback to the staff.
