Officials at the Rwanda Utilities and Regulation Authority (Rura) have warned bus owners and operators against overloading.

Emmanuel Katabarwa, the head of the Transport regulation department at the regulatory body, said the big KBS buses are licensed to carry only 60 passengers with 36 seated and 24 standing.  

"The carrying capacity is 60 passengers. The operators know this and are aware of the penalties involved if they break the rules. Overloading is the driver, conductor’s and company’s fault and the fine is Rwf10,000 per excess passenger on the bus,” Katabarwa said.

Jean-Claude Rurangwa, who is in charge of Transport in the City of Kigali, urged passengers to avoid boarding overcrowded buses as some are easily tempted to get on to them after waiting for long periods.

With the transport system in the city still facing a shortage of buses and mini-buses, the temptation of passengers boarding overcrowded buses is hard to resist despite the danger they expose themselves to.

Early this week, various transport companies authorised to ply routes around the city told The New Times that they were yet to acquire additional buses to serve passengers.

In the meantime, passengers have to share the available buses. It is becoming common to spot Kigali Bus Service buses overloaded with passengers.

To get a feel of the situation, this writer boarded a KBS carrier from Remera to town.

At the time of departure, there were 36 passengers seated and 26 standing. At each stop, however, more passengers boarded, even exceeding those getting off.

The standing space slowly diminished and the grips became fewer, forcing some passengers to hold on to seats.

The bus was congested, and noisy that passengers wishing to get off could barely be heard by the conductor.

This meant that they had to shout at the top of their voices or risk being taken past their destination. 

However, though visibly uncomfortable, the majority of the passengers seemed not bothered, with some of them seeing it as a short ride they can bear with.

"Being squeezed for a few minutes is something simple considering the time you would have had to wait for another bus,” Vincent Mugenzi, one of the passengers, said.

Charles Ngarambe, the Executive Chairman of Kigali Bus Services said the agreement the company has with the regulator and their insurers is that the buses have a capacity of 60 passengers. 

He said there are disciplinary measures taken against staff who break the rules and the company’s policy on capacity.