Stranded passengers facilitated as travel restrictions take effect

On Tuesday, January 5, the government started to implement the ban on public and private transport to and from Kigali as well as inter-district movements as the country stepped up the Covid-19 fight. The ban is part of the measures taken by the cabinet on Monday, January 4, in order to contain the Covid-19 infections, which have rose steeply in the last couple of weeks. Travel is only permitted for medical reasons and essential services while vehicles transporting goods will continue to operate with no more than two people on board. When The New Times visited Nyabugogo Taxi Park, some private cars and motorcyclists were moving upcountry and vice-versa, while a number of buses were transporting passengers from Kigali to different destinations upcountry, particularly in Southern and Northern Provinces. In the early hours of Jan. 5, officials from Rwanda National Police, public transport operators and Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority (RURA) were seen facilitating stranded passengers to travel. However, transport ticket sales offices were already closed. An official from RURA said that the exercise was initiated by the Police to facilitate passengers who already had tickets and wanted to travel upcountry in the morning. “After realizing that many passengers were stranded at the taxi park in the morning, the police came up with an initiative to facilitate them get some buses and travel upcountry. We are here to make sure that transport is well-coordinated,” the official said. “Of course this is like a one-day grace period. They will be allowed to travel upcountry today but it will be a different situation from tomorrow [Wednesday, January 6],” he added. Innocent Ngirinshuti, one of the passengers, told The New Times, that he had bought an 8a.m ticket to Muhanga on Monday, Jan. 4 so he can get to work on time. “I am now hoping to go home,” he said. On the other hand, Antoinette Mukahirwa, couldn’t believe that she would travel back home with her little daughter until she entered the bus to Ruhango District. She said that she already lost hope when she saw hundreds of passengers leaving the taxi park in the morning after spending some hours on board trying to get the bus in vain. “I was about to go back to the family that I had visited. This resolution (restricting movement) came as a surprise to everyone. But, thanks to the police, we are going back home,” she said. Meanwhile, the situation was quite different at Nyanza Taxi Park as transport to and from Nyamata town, Bugesera District continued as normal. Nyamata Town is home to many people who operate business in Kicukiro District. “Travelling to and from Nyamata was temporarily restricted in the morning hours but passengers were later allowed to travel as normal,” said Ismael Muhire, a transport supervisor at Nyanza Taxi Park.

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Stranded passengers facilitated as travel restrictions take effect