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The initiative has contributed to improvement in service delivery, according to Muvunyi, adding that there was also time wastage in the process of collecting fares and reimbursing customer balances, which also resulted in delays. Some notorious drivers would sometimes charge passengers more money than the set transport fare, Muvunyi says.
Jean d’AmourKaneza, a driver working for Rwanda Federation of Transport Cooperative (RFTC), says some passengers would at times disagree with conductors on the fare, which could sometimes end in fights.
He says under the Tap & Go system, a passenger taps their loaded card on the reader machine to pay the fare before boarding the bus. Those with insufficient funds on their cards recharge them without any confrontation.
Buchana says the growth has been smooth and he hopes to see further growthas more commuters adopt the new system of payment.
“For this major growth to happen, we are working towards innovating Tap&Go to set up more functionalities; hence adding more value to our customers,” he says.
He says the venture has so far created over 141 jobs in Rwanda, including permanent staff and its wide network of agents across Kigali city.
The firm calls for more investment in the sector, arguing that science and technology will play a critical role in the socio-economic transformation of Rwanda.
However, further investment in relevant skills, supporting research infrastructure and providing incentives to private sector innovation are is also central to attracting more investors into the industry.
