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| Shuttle bus from Kigali to Kibungo |
There are many modes of transportation available in the
little town where I live in the southeast corner of Rwanda. For long distance travel – for example the 100 km to the capital city of Kigali – there are several companies that operate
a mini-school-bus-sized shuttle that travel this – and various other short routes – for an affordable Rwandan equivalent of about $2. They run on a very loose schedule departing
from the center of town about every half an hour. However, if the bus is full, it’s likely to
leave ahead of schedule, or vice versa if there are open seats, the driver is known
to hang out a bit.
When the bus pulls into a bona fide bus station, people selling everything from fruit or soft drinks to newspapers or loaves of bread quickly approach the vehicle.
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| Sellers at the Rwamagana bus station. |
It’s not clear where the stops are, but if you’re on the bus
and you want to get off, you just bang on the window and hope the driver
can hear you through the loud music that’s playing on the badly tuned radio
station. It takes about three hours to
travel the 97 km to the capital and requires a willingness to pile in with the
locals who – during all of the three rides I’ve done so far – have been very nice
and accepting of the “muzungo” riding among them.
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| Taxi-Motos sitting on the edge of town waiting for a fare |
The next step down in price and comfort is the motorcycle taxis, or – as they are known here – the “taxi motos.” These drivers are all unionized, wear color-coded vests according to their company, have I.D. numbers, and carry an extra helmet for their customers. They tend to hang out near bus stations or popular restaurants waiting for a fare. Peace Corp strictly forbids riding on them because of their perilous potential.
The mode of transportation that intrigues me the most –and is
considered by many to be the most dangerous of them all – is the bicycle taxi,
or “bodas-bodas.”
Having been a cyclist for most of my adult life, I
am rather partial to the eco-friendly mode of
transportation. Along with
recreational cycling, I subscribed to the bike share program in Paris the year
of its inception and use it almost daily when I’m there. Many large cities in "first-world" nations host
a bike share program that has helped alleviate traffic congestion by a
significant degree. (In addition to the recreational cycling Charlie and I have done, we both subscribed to the bike share program in Paris the year of its inception, and use it regularly whenever we are in Paris.)
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| Boda-boda or bicycle taxi |
In March 2008, Rwandan police banned all bicycle taxis from
roads across the country – a decision they said would reduce bike-related accidents.[1]
However, Rwandan President Kagame had a different view, and in a public address
in 2014, he challenged the police by saying banning bicycles from roads was not
the solution to ending traffic accidents. [2]
While the ban remains in effect in Kigali, bicycle taxis are
a thriving business outside of the capital. It keeps young men employed – I have
yet to see a female bicycle taxi operator – and out of trouble, and all the
while earning a wage.
It’s been hard for me to get a clear photo image of the
bicycle-taxi with a customer in tow and I now wonder if that might be because
of their precarious position in the Rwandan transportation system.
For those of us volunteers in the more rural locations, (like me) the Peace Corps provides a very nice mountain bike as an added mode of transportation. Of course, they didn't need to ask me twice, and consequently, I have a vehicle for exercise, as well as the means for a quick trip to the market, should I so desire.
For those of us volunteers in the more rural locations, (like me) the Peace Corps provides a very nice mountain bike as an added mode of transportation. Of course, they didn't need to ask me twice, and consequently, I have a vehicle for exercise, as well as the means for a quick trip to the market, should I so desire.
[1] The
New Times http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/3057/
[2] KT
Press, http://ktpress.rw/2016/08/after-kagame-intervention-bicycle-taxis-generate-rwf3-6billion/
