Jean de Dieu Uwihanganye, the State Minister in the Ministry of Infrastructure, announced that since the introduction of dedicated bus lanes for public transport, the number of passengers using buses has increased by 10,000 people.
Following the rise in global and local fuel prices, Rwandans have been encouraged to use public transport in order to reduce the financial burden caused by the increasing cost of petroleum products.
Since then, the number of people using buses daily in Kigali has risen from 180,000 to 230,000.
Amb. Uwihanganye said, “Since last week, we introduced these bus lanes. During the designated bus-lane hours, buses are expected to depart every five minutes and move faster.”
Passengers say buses no longer spend long periods stuck in traffic as before, and they also no longer wait to fill up with passengers before departing.
He added, “What shows that people appreciate the system is that in just one week, bus usage increased by 10,000 passengers, and this is only the beginning.”
Amb. Uwihanganye also said traffic congestion has reduced, noting that during rush hours vehicles previously remained stuck for long periods without moving.
The City of Kigali recently designated several large public parking areas to support the park-and-ride system, where people can leave their private cars and continue their journeys using buses. These include parking areas at Kabuga Bus Park, Stade Amahoro (Rwahama side), Kigali Pele Stadium, the former Magerwa site in Ruyenzi, Kamonyi, and in Gahanga.
Fuel prices in Rwanda have increased significantly, with a litre of petrol currently costing RWF 2,938, while diesel costs RWF 2,205 per litre.
