Transporters cautioned against hiking fares as schools reopen

Public transporters have been warned against increasing transport fares as students prepare to head to school for their third term of the academic year that starts on Monday. The Minister of Education, Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, issued the warning while meeting transporters and stakeholders on Thursday. According to Habumuremyi, the tendency has been going on for a while, leaving a number of students stranded at bus terminals in various parts of the country. “We want to end this chaos…that is why we have called you here so that we can come to a consensus on how business will be conducted, come Sunday,” Habumuremyi told the transporters who attended the meeting. He stressed that the unbecoming behaviour of drivers had caused many problems to the students, with most of them failing to make it to their respective schools on time. “We want you to treat these students as your own because they are the future of Rwanda. Help them reach their destination as early as possible and safely,” he said. Reiterating the Minister’s call, the State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Dr. Mathias Harebamungu, called upon parents to send their children to school early and ensure that they get to their destinations. He emphasised that all students in boarding schools are required to travel to their respective schools on August 21, a day before the opening of the term. Harebamungu said that available statistics show that 207, 283 students study in boarding schools and all these need to be transported to their destinations. The head of Traffic Police, Chief Superintendent Vincent Sano, who was at the meeting, reminded the drivers to be careful. “Due to the rise in demand at the opening and closing of a school term, many drivers get careless, making mistakes some of which can lead to fatal accidents,” Sano said. He commended the ministry’s move of bringing together all stakeholders to plan before the opening of schools. Representatives of transporters agreed to work together to see that all goes well. It was also agreed at the meeting that a committee to coordinate the activity be put in place so that they can be alerted whenever a problem arises. Ends

National

Transporters cautioned against hiking fares as schools reopen