For sometime the popular perception in the region was that Kigali had the most organised public transport system. Dar es Salaam has traffic jams that can compel a nun to curse in frustration while on a dala dala. For years, the matatus in Nairobi’s were a reserve of the fittest members of society since they hardly stopped for passengers to disembark. Their ear-busting music seemed the lesser evil. I am not sure of what happens in Bujumbura but in Kampala, the story is much worse. Apart from the luxury of seating only three passengers per row, there is nothing more to smile about the taxis in Kampala. The traffic jams aside, no one is ever sure of the fare from one place, since it always goes up during the rush hour, when it rains, or when a road is under construction. When schools close the price goes up again. And by the way, individual passengers have the luxury of bargain on the fare! So in the same taxi you may be shocked when one pays Shs500 while you are asked to pay Shs1000 for the same distance. Due to the price ambiguities, fights between passengers and conductors are as common as the potholes on the roads. It is also very common to be evicted from the taxi or to be insulted simply because you are carrying a big bank note! By 2005, the public transport system here was much easier to deal with. The fares were fixed and each taxi had the name of the town it plied to. Then, we had two taxi parks that were functional and strategically located. The only downside was that there were so many small taxis seating 18 passengers plus the conductor and the driver. I still recall a time in 2005 when I boarded a Kanombe taxi only to disembark at the airport with a paralysed left leg. I had suffered the misfortune of sharing a seat with two fairly sized women, a fat gentleman as well as the conductor standing beside me. Today, a lot seems to have changed but may be not for the better. Kigali is now in serious contention with other EAC cities when it comes to having a messy public transport system. I don’t know if this is part of an effort to look more East African or not. Most of the taxis no longer have names of the routes they ply, and those that do may not even be heading in that direction. It is not rare to find a Nyamirambo taxi heading to Kimironko and a Kimironko taxi returning from Gatsata. The two taxi parks are no more. Instead we have a taxi park at Nyabugogo, a pseudo park at the Rubangura area and something smaller at Sulfo Industries. Sometimes knowing where taxis to a particular area are parked is but a gamble. The whole situation seems to be compounded with the rush hour scenario, whose impact is now being felt in all corners of society. Indeed noble efforts are being undertaken to address most of these problems. The taxi park at Nyabugogo is undergoing major repairs, although, the pace at which this is being done is not encouraging at all. Several city roads are being repaired and some have been expanded to address the problem of congestion. Smaller taxis are slowly being replaced by bigger minibuses (coasters). Of all the efforts to address public transport in the city, the recent hike in transport fares at rush hours seems to be the least thought out. Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority recently announced an increment in taxi fares within the city centre. Passengers now have to pay an extra Rwf50 during the rush hour which according to RURA is from 5:00pm – 8:00am the following morning. The reasons given for this increment are the weakest I have ever heard. I wonder why they did not just create a blanket increase of the fare. By creating a rush hour fare, they are simply punishing the commuters. The rush hour stress is bad enough and now passengers will have to endure a higher cost. The new fare will not in anyway solve the dilemma of the commuters in whose interest RURA is supposed to be acting. One may not afford to leave the town earlier because of work obligations. And besides, I foresee quarrels over time with some claiming that they boarded the taxi before 5:00pm. The other oversight is that by around 7:00pm the rush hour is no more but we shall have to continue paying more to travel all through the night. In other words, city dwellers now have to spend hours standing in long lines waiting for taxis for which they will pay more to board. Does this make sense? Have RURA and ATRACO just noticed that there is something called rush hour? ssenyonga@gmail.com
