Taxi-Moto head covers are back

Motor cycle taxis, commonly referred to as Taxi-Motos have been directed to provide head gears for their passengers, which, for hygiene purposes, must be worn under the helmet.The order takes effect today, and over rides protests by the Taxi Motos operators about the new costs which they had said was too high for them. Traffic laws require that both the rider of the motorcycle and their passengers wear helmets for their safety. The idea of the headgear was introduced late last year, but motor cyclists were unenthusiastic about it saying it was too expensive. The cost of one unit of the cloth-cover was put at Rwf50, but it has been reduced to Rwf 40, according to Kigali City Council officials.The latest decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Kigali City Mayor, Fidele Ndayisaba, and attended by officials from Traffic Police, Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency as well as representatives of motor cyclists associations.The cotton head covers are designed to help protect passengers from contracting skin diseases as a result of many people sharing the helmets.“It was agreed that the decision be compulsory and we call on passengers to shun motorcycles without the headgear,” Bruno Rangira, the Director of Communication, KCC, told The New Times, yesterday. “Taxi-Moto operators who will breach the directive will be dealt with according to the law,” he warned.The latest development is being seen as a follow-up on decisions made during last week’s meeting between Prime Minister Dr Pierre Damien Habumuryemyi and the motorcyclists. During the meeting, the premier ordered that the issue of head covers be looked into afresh. “There won’t be extra transport costs given that fuel prices have since reduced yet motorcyclists had not reduced their fares,” said Rangira. He said the market for the equipment was open to the public, adding that anyone who wanted to venture into the business must first seek approval from the Rwanda Bureau of Standards.But Taxi-Moto operators who spoke to The New Times yesterday were adamant the cost for the gadget be met by passengers, saying that imposing the cost on them will have an adverse effect on their business.“Imagine giving these gadgets to over 50 passengers a day, how much do you get as profit? That’s Rwf 3,000 a day, which is too much for us,” said Jean Pierre Ndikumana, a motorcyclist in Remera. Another taxi-motorcyclist in Kigali, Eric Habinshuti said: “Why are they imposing decisions on us? It would have been better if passengers bought the head cover themselves from boutiques.” When contacted, the Traffic Police chief, CSP Celestin Twahirwa, said he expects the motorcyclists to comply with the new requirement. “We expect them to be cooperative. They will even benefit more as many passengers will be more comfortable using them because of improvement in hygiene,” said Twahirwa.

National

Taxi-Moto head covers are back