For years, the morning routine for many Kigali residents involved challenges at the bus terminal. People would wait in indefinite lines for a bus to fill up before it would move. Following the government’s rollout of the new public transport model on December 2, known as “Generation 2,” commuters across the capital have reported a sharp decrease in waiting times and a significant improvement in on-board safety. ALSO READ: Kigali to launch new public transport system The reforms, championed by the City of Kigali and the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), mandate scheduled departure times regardless of passenger numbers. This shift from a “fill-and-go” model to a time-based schedule has fundamentally changed the rhythm of the city. The guidelines published during the launch of the new reforms, the core pillars of the new model are “scheduled service” and “intelligent monitoring,” RURA highlighted. This means buses must depart at specific times, even if empty-and are tracked in real-time to ensure compliance. The new model also introduces dedicated bus lanes to give public transport priority over private cars, a feature that was absent in the first generation. ALSO READ: Inside the next generation of Kigali’s public transport For students like Claudine Mukeshimana, the changes have erased the anxiety of morning delay to attend classes. Mukeshimana, a University of Kigali student who commutes daily from Kimironko, said the impact was immediate. “It only took me about 20 minutes to get from Kimironko to the bus stops near the campus,” Mukeshimana said. “As soon as I got on the bus, it immediately departed.” She noted that the efficiency isn’t just about departure times. It is also about road management where dedicated bus lanes are introduced. “The way of catching a bus today is different from before because now they have designated bus lanes in certain areas,” she explained. “When the buses reach those areas, they use those lanes to pass through quickly, so people don’t spend a long time on the road.” ALSO READ: Public transport a priority in Kigali, says minister Addressing passenger discomfort The new system has also addressed the physical discomfort that overwhelmed the previous model. Emmanuel Niyibizi , an air-conditioning technician from Remera Sector, recalled the chaotic scenes of 2023 when he started travelling in Kigali. “Before, you traveled very closely packed, so it was difficult to breathe,” Niyibizi said. “You would find it inconvenient for parents carrying children.” He noted that the overcrowding often provided cover for petty crime. “Due to the crowding... you would find that some passengers were robbing others,” he said. “People would lose their phones or money because of the chaos in the vehicle.” Today, Niyibizi said the experience is starkly different because buses do not wait long to be packed beyond capacity. “Nowadays, you can get to work on time, and you get there without being tired because a person is usually seated,” he added. The ripple effect of the new model are being felt in the business community as well. Console Niyonsenga, a retailer who commutes from Gisozi sector to Nyabugogo market, views the transport reforms as a catalyst for the local economy. “I am a retailer in the Nyabugogo market, where I need to be early in the morning to meet customers in the morning, so I need to be quick,” Niyonsenga said. “This new transport model is going to accelerate our businesses, helping us reach the market and find customers on time.” She also pointed out the potential for broader traffic relief. Niyonsenga believes that if public transport becomes reliable, fewer people will feel the need to drive private cars. “If people start using this newly introduced bus system, traffic congestion will automatically reduce,” she observed. “I believe that if traffic jams are reduced, it will also reduce the number of accidents.” ALSO READ: How Kigali's dedicated bus lanes will operate To understand the relief commuters feel, one must look at the recent past. Modeste Ukwishaka, a master of ceremony (MC) from Ngororero District in the Western Province who travels to Kigali for events, described the old Nyabugogo terminal as an unpredictable ordeal. “The crowds would wait, and we truly never knew how long we would be standing there,” Ukwishaka said. “Some people had jobs or various appointments... and it was hard for them to succeed in their journey because the transport and the buses were often delayed.” He shared similar sentiments with Ntiyibizi, saying overcrowding was a painful experience for passengers. “A bus made to carry about 50 people would be carrying 70 or 80,” Ukwishaka recalled. “But nowadays, because the bus is carrying passengers quickly, that issue of insecurity is going to diminish.” Payment issues While the scheduling has improved, the system faces teething issues, particularly regarding digital payments. Technician Emmanuel Ntiyibizi highlighted a gap in the “Tap&Go” cashless ecosystem that leaves some passengers stranded. “There is a challenge with payment,” he explained. “You are not allowed to hand the driver cash if you don’t have a card or if you don’t have money loaded on your card.” He described situations where passengers miss a bus because they cannot top up instantly. He also criticized the fees associated with loading cards through agents. “If you give the agent 1,000 Rwf, they ask you to add 100 Rwf,” he said. “What would help us is for them to introduce a payment method that doesn’t require adding extra money.” Despite these challenges, the consensus among passengers remains positive. Kwihangana Benjamin, a resident of Gatenga sector in Kicukiro District, admitted that the strict departure schedules have made it possible for city dwellers to commute to work on time. “Nobody is late for work anymore,” he said. “When the designated departure time comes, it takes the passengers who are inside when the scheduled minutes arrive.”
