Editor,

I would like to express my concern regarding the new taxi fares. Recently I took a Kigali bus services taxi from Kacyiru to Remera. I gave RWF 500 to the conductor and expected at least Rwf 320 change and to my shock and dismay I received only RWF 300.

I was supposed to have paid Rwf 180 not Rwf 200.
I questioned the conductor who looked at me smiling and announced that the ticket was valued for an hour. And I was confused what exactly does that mean.

Why do I have to pay for an hour’s journey if it takes only 30 minutes to get to my destination? What happens if I don’t finish up in time to catch the same bus within that same hour? Does it mean I have lost my RWF 20?

It might not be a lot of money but am thinking out of many peoples RWF 20 the amount is humongous. So anyway, I tried to question the smiling conductor who announced that this is the new system within their bus services and he thought it was absolutely wonderful.

I think that’s true for those people who go round town dropping stuff but for some of us who take the bus to and from work, the system is not only confusing but can be misunderstood as one that swindles money from unsuspecting passengers.

That being said I would also love to express my appreciation for all the new taxis now in Kigali. At least ‘old’ no longer remains the sole definition of taxi.

We love the new music systems in the taxis that make our journey enjoyable and the clean seats that are now in place. I also greatly appreciate the leg-room in place in most of the buses that caters for some of us who are tall.

Wanjiru Waguka
Kachiru