Twelve firms bid to provide public transport in the city

The City of Kigali and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (Rura) have moved a step further towards streamlining city public transport by opening the tender bids for the four designated city zones.According to Emmanuel Asaba, the head of transport regulation authority department at Rura, 12 public transport firms submitted bids to operate the four zones of the city, plus the Central Business District. They include Kigali Bus Service, Volcanoes, Virunga Safaris, Prince Express, Gasabo, Royal Express and the Rwanda Federation of Transport Co-operatives.The winners would be announced on August 12 before signing five-year contracts. The new city public transport system will be launched on August 30, according to the City of Kigali. Zone one routes are Remera, Kanombe (Kabeza), Nyarugunga, Rusororo ( Kabuga), Masaka, Ndera and Niboye ( Alpha Palace side), while Niboye, Kicukiro, Kagarama, Gatenga, Kigarama , Gikondo (Nyenyeri) and Gahanga are for zone two. Routes for zone three are Gikomero, Bumbogo, Rutunga, Kimironko (Kibagabaga), Kinyinya (Deustch ware, Kagugu, Batsinda), Remera (Nyarutarama, Rukiri II), Kimihurura, Kacyiru and Gisozi and those for zone four are Gitega, Nyamirambo, Kimisagara, Nyakabanda, Mageragere, Kigali, Gatsata, Jali, Jabana, Nduba and Rutunga. Nyarugenge and Muhima or the Central Business District, make up the neutral zone. The main routes will be fed by the feeder and interzonal routes, according to the City of Kigali.Operators for the different zones will be identified according to vehicles’ colour. Vehicles operating on zone one will be painted blue, those for zone two will have yellow, while green is for zone three and black for vehicles plying zone four. “Operators on any given route, will be held accountable for any mess on a route. Those who will fail to perform as per contract will be penalised, including having their contracts suspended or losing their operating licences, depending on the magnitude of the offence,” Asaba explained.He noted that ervice delivery in the public transport sector had deteriorated due to unhealthy competition. Asaba added that omnibuses will only be allowed to operate on feeder roads, feeding the main roads to Kigali city. He noted that it has been difficult for the authorities to hold public transporters accountable, as a result, the public has been suffering with a lot of delays, increased accidents and traffic jams.Charles Ngarambe, the chairman of the Rwanda Bus Service Association, applauded the move, saying it would clean up the public transport sector. “Communities will find it easy to move both within and around the city,” he noted. He added that this was part of the new public transport policy which came into effect last month.Jean Claude Rurangwa, a public transport and traffic management expert at City of Kigali, said the need to create a conducive environment for investment must come with a well organised public transport. “We cannot talk about development and economic growth if we have disorganised public transport; people need to move easily and do their business in time.” Last month, Francois Gatarayiha, the Rura director general, said the new public transport policy does not allow licensing individual transport operators. “Unless you are registered as a company, co-operative or an association, we won’t give you an operating license,” Gatarayiha said.

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Twelve firms bid to provide public transport in the city