Taxi Moto: what happened to the smart head-cover?

HUYE/NYANZA- EARLY this year, commercial motorcycle operators were ordered to provide hygienic head-covers, locally known as Akanozasuku, to their passengers.At that time, it was announced that the move was meant to protect passengers from contracting skin related diseases as a result of sharing safety helmets.The smart head cover is a disposable white cotton synthetic fabric worn under the helmet. Over the last few months, instructions and resolutions regarding the head gear have been made but it looks as if enforcing them is yet to bear fruit.It has, to some extent, worked in some parts of Kigali but implementation country is still a hurdle. In upcountry areas, the enforcement has died a natural death mainly due to disagreements on who should bear the cost. One gear costs Rwf50.“They are not available,” Gaston Nsanzabandi, a motorcycle taxi operator in Nyanza town, provincial capital of the Southern Province, claims. “It is difficult to find them locally,” Nsanzabandi added.But, the real reason might not be that.“The cost of the gadgets it too high,” argues one motorcyclist before adding that passengers are the ones who should foot the bill.Another cyclist who preferred anonymity said the cost is too high for motor cyclists if they have to provide the smart head covers. “Imagine how much money i will have to spend on the covers every day if I transport over ten individuals per day. It is too much for me to afford. It is not sustainable.”And, as the debate gets hotter, Eugene Murangwa, another operator, intervenes: “That will cause losses on our part. It does not make business sense. But, if we are compelled to do it we shall because we have no other choice.”A mini survey carried out by The New Times in Huye and Nyanza districts revealed that the use of the smart covers was still very low. Information from other districts also indicates a similar trend.Urayeneza, a local resident who said he is a regular user of motorcycles, said he is rarely offered the head cover.“I have forgotten about it,” she said.Speaking to The New Times, Eric Nisingizwe, the representative of the Rwanda Federation of Moto Taxi Operators, categorically refuted the claims of the lack of the headgears on the market.“What they are saying is not true,” he said, insisting that the smart covers are available through local associations and cooperatives.There are eight motorcyclists’ cooperatives spread across the country, three of them operate in Kigali, he told The New Times.Nisingizwe stated that plans to have vendors dispatched across the country are underway in order to make sure every motorcyclist easily accesses the gadgets.“In Kigali, we are already using them [vendors] to provide them to the operators,” Nisingizwe said. “With the vendors, motorcyclists will not have to travel to their cooperatives to acquire them, but can purchase them anywhere.”“We plan to take the same strategy upcountry so as to ease accessibility.”According to Nisingizwe, the federation is planning to hold a meeting with the company importing the gears to discuss ways to have vendors spread across the country. The meeting is scheduled for this week.“During this meeting, we will determine the way forward,” he said.In an phone interview with The New Times, the Southern Region Police Spokesman,Supt. Hubert Gashagaza, acknowledged the need to intensify sensitisation efforts in order to ensure that all operators comply with the policy.“It is clear that the scope of smart head covers in the upcountry is still low. But, efforts are being made. Traffic police officers are involved in sensitising motorcyclists,” he acknowledged. “But alone, we cannot succeed. We need the help of passengers, local leaders and representatives of motorcyclists. Since the introduction of the smart head covers, authorities have warned motorcycle operators that the gadgets are compulsory for all passengers and that each is used once and by one individual. The Rwanda Utility Regulatory Agency (RURA) has even instructed the operators to bear the cost and cautioned them against hiking transport fares.

National

Taxi Moto: what happened to the smart head-cover?