By Dolapo Aina
It is well known that if you wanted to understand how a country works, the first port of call is what you observe, feel and sense when you arrive at the main international airport of the country. It also applies globally. The orderliness or disorderliness of the main international airport you find yourself, is a minuscule indicator and microcosm of the entire country. If the airport is organised and the organisation is not superficial, you would pretty much experience the same kind of orderliness within the country.
Furthermore, expanding the aforementioned observation to transportation, if you wanted to have the feel of any city, it is usually a very good idea to jettison (after a while) the private cars and taxis etc for the commercial motorcycles, matatus, motos and the public transportation buses. They all give you several perspectives about the societal idiosyncrasies of a society.
Several years ago, when I was visiting Rwanda (2014), it was usually motos one used to get to one’s destination. But after awhile one got tired of the same routine and one day, I decided to board a public bus even though my Kinyarwanda was limited or non-existent then. I was asked by the puzzled receptionist why I wanted to take public transportation? I just wanted to; to have a different perspective of Kigali then. I boarded the bus going to Mumugi (downtown) from opposite the court building close to the Parliament (this was when there was no Kigali Convention Centre and no roundabout infront of KCC).
Payment of transport fare (better known as ticket here) then was like what is obtainable in other African countries. You gave the bus conductor money and he handed you, your balance (if any).
Standard practice. Another observation then was that you probably had to let the driver (if you were seated close to him) or the conductor (if you were close to him) your bus stop. But if you missed your bus stop, the driver would not stop till he gets to the next bus stop (I am speaking from a 2014 experience where language was a very big barrier).
Several years later, this changed as the public transportation system went cashless; whereby you buy a bus card, load it with credit and use it when you board any public bus. But what happens if and when you board a bus but you realise there is no credit on your card when placed against the little orange box? Quite simple, you alight and get to the sales person usually close to the bus stop. And if there is no sales person close by, you stay in the bus and at the next bus stop, there would be a sales person. The whole process does not involve the driver taking any cash from the commuter. Digital and cashless process at its’ simplest. Some of the major lessons or benefits are that; no unauthorised street-urchin get to hassle you to pay for your transport fare; no conductor to scream (locations and entice commuters) over acceptable decibels. The transport fares accrued from a location (bus) can be traced electronically (cutting out any unscrupulous elements) and this means the money goes directly to the appropriate body. Lessons for other African countries.
Lest I forget, one gets the feeling that certain areas in Kigali need more public buses plying those routes. Also, since there are no more conductors on public buses in Kigali, a commuter either presses the buttons which notifies the driver or the commuter knocks (with a coin or something else) on the window panel to get the attention of a driver who would stop at the next bus stop and you simply alight.
