EDITORIAL: Is the ordinary Rwandan catered for in public transport smartcard system?

The transformation of public transport in Kigali took a leap in the right direction, this week, with the beginning of phase-out of cash payment systems as operators embrace smartcards instead. The gradual phase-out of cash payments is already in effect on the Kanombe route where passengers commuting from Kanombe for Remera, Kacyiru or the city centre are required to have the e-Payment smartcard to board KBS buses, the public transporter taking the lead in this transformation effort. This is a step in the right direction that puts Kigali in the same league as cities in developed nations that rely a lot on cashless systems. Besides being a good way to keep the City of Kigali clean since there will be no more small tickets that many often dump around, the smartcard system will help reduce the time buses spend at bus stops as well as the long queues that often formed as passengers jostled to buy tickets. There are just so many advantages of the electronic system for citizens to be upbeat about the future of the country. However, although Kigali Bus Services (KBS) and AC Group, the firm at the centre of the electronic smartcards in Kigali, said the system is being introduced in phases, there are some silent but salient questions that remain answered. Top of these is the place of the ordinary Rwandan and irregular commuters. How viable will the smartcard system be to folks who cannot afford the fees for the cards yet have to use public transport often? This should call for more promotion awareness and deliberate efforts to convince the people that the smartcard system does not only save time but is also more convenient and efficient. And then there are city dwellers who only use public transport once in a while, often without planning to. It does not look, at the moment, like it would be easy to convince this lot that the smartcard is worthwhile. But there is a way and AC Group and public transport operators must find out how. In the e-Payment system, a beautiful dream has come true, but how it matures will be down to how the nation embraces it. An enviably efficient transport system is smiling upon Rwanda.

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EDITORIAL: Is the ordinary Rwandan catered for in public transport smartcard system?