Residents of Rubavu district have welcomed the new state of the art taxi-park which is expected to ease overcrowding. The taxi-park that is expected to be the biggest in the country upon inauguration next year, has enough space for both movement of travelers and parking, different from the old one which had limited space. Located in Gisenyi Sector, Bugoyi Cell in Nyakabungo, the new park was opened to buses and passengers on December 30, although its construction is yet to be fully completed. According to Deputy Managing Director for Real Estate at Jali Investment Ltd, Fred Rwamurangwa, the park has everything needed for its first phase to allow it to be operational while the remaining section will be completed in the next three months as anticipated. According to Rwamurangwa, Rubavu Taxi Park is unique and different from others as it attracts passengers traveling locally and those crossing over to the neighboring countries. He added that sections of the park include an isolation room in case of pandemic outbreak and emergency room for patients, two waiting rooms designated for passengers, a police post and trading buildings. The park will also have several malls and a local market. “It is the best and exemplary Bus Park across the country that Jari has ever built. We want to address the problem of overcrowding,” Rwamurangwa said. As of today, transport companies have relocated their offices to the new park. It is big; transport companies and traders will have enough operational space which will allow them to be more innovative in the services they give us,” said Innocent Byiringiro, one of the residents of Nyakabungo, the neighborhood of the park. Claude Musabyina, a taxi driver, also welcomed the new facility as a development for the district. He said the old park was too small, and traffic jams and overcrowding would hinder movements. The new bus station was constructed by Jali Investment Ltd, former Rwanda Federation of Transport Cooperatives (ATRACO), which also manages bus stations comprising Nyabugogo, Kayonza, Kabuga. The facility is worth Rwf8 billion upon completion. According to Rubavu District authorities, the new bus terminal is in accordance with the master plan as the town is even being renovated and expansion works underway as one of the seven secondary cities after Kigali. According to Mayor Ildephonse Kambogo, “the park is currently operational and will be officially launched shortly.”
