Kigali Bus Service has scrapped its Rwf500 ticket effective since Monday 9 May 2011, after it emerged that counterfeit tickets were in circulation.
When contacted for comment, the former KBS chairman Charles Ngarambe, who doubles as chairman of the Kigali transport association, explained the firm had notified their clients on time and that complaints emanated from those duplicating tickets. “As we speak, we are conducting a thorough investigation among our staff and suspected accomplices,” he further pointed out,” imagine in the morning, a man ran away from the bus after issuing a fake Rwf 500 ticket, this means that the scandalous behavior was on the rise,” he remarked.
The gimmick was also reciprocated by students who were severally nabbed by bus inspectors.
Ngarambe further dismissed allegations that the move aimed at hiking fares. He admitted that due to high fuel prices, they had floated a similar proposal to the Rwanda Utility and Regulatory Authority (RURA), which has ordered the firm to revert to its former price structure since fuel prices might soon drop to normal.
However, he encouraged commuters to use the recently introduced electronic payment system since it was more effective than the paper ticket.
“We don’t intend to remove paper tickets forever but we keep persuading passengers to use smartcards since it also facilitates our management processes,” Ngarambe commented.
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