The Rwanda Association of Passenger Transporters (ATPR) has announced that there is a need to repair over 150 buses that were grounded due to financial constraints.
The funds to repair these vehicles will ensure that more buses are back on roads to address public transport woes, Theoneste Mwunguzi, the association chairperson said
The association is pleading with the government to honour its commitment to disburse billions in subsidies for transport prices.
He said most of the bus owners are undergoing financial distress and therefore cannot afford to repair their buses in garages.
He was reacting to the government’s temporary strategy which aims to work together with bus owners to repair their vehicles so that there are more buses back on roads.
“The last time we got subsidies was in June this year. We need subsidies that the government committed to give us so that we are able to repair over 150 buses owned by different public transport companies.
If these buses are back on the roads, they could help address the issue instead of bringing in operators with private cars,” he said.
The government has moved to grant temporary permission to 7-seater vehicles to carry passengers in Kigali on a commercial basis, as part of a short-term plan to deal with public transport issues.
However, the passenger transporters association has argued that the issue of financial capacity to repair the vehicles should get more attention.
Over Rwf10bn subsidies to be disbursed
The Deputy Government Spokesperson, Alain Mukuralinda, told The New Times that the government will soon disburse the delayed subsidies to public transport operators which will also help them afford the cost of repairing grounded buses lying idle in garages.
“This is one of the measures aimed at addressing public transport woes. The government owes the operators over Rwf10 billion in subsidies because they last got subsidies in June. We hope that as they gradually get the subsidies, more buses will be repaired and be back on the roads,” he said.
He said that if the plan goes well, 100 new buses will be brought into the country in December 2023.
During the 18th National Dialogue (Umushyikirano) in February, 2023, the Ministry of Infrastructure pledged Over 300 new public transport buses in Kigali.
There is a need for over 500 buses to help end public transport woes in the City of Kigali.
Meanwhile, the City of Kigali, announced that Central Business District-Rwandex-Sonatubes-Giporoso road will be piloted as a dedicated bus line during peak hours as a solution to traffic congestion in the capital.
Other road networks such as Central Business District-Kimironko and Central Business District-Kicukiro and others will follow.
The move aligns with the implementation of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1), which aims to achieve a 22 km target by 2024.