Gasana Ignace, a taxi driver believes that working in cooperatives develops both individuals and the nation. Poor organization and working for selfish-oriented individuals can never develop communities. Our reporter Dianah Mutimura spoke to Gasana and below are exerpts of the conversation.
Igihe.com: Tell us your name and background?
Gasana: I am Gasana Ignace, born in Gatsibo district in 1980 in a family of 8 but unfortunately four of them were killed during the 1994 Tutsi genocide with our parents. I am happily married with two lovely children who are living in Muyumba, Rwamagana district.
Igihe.com: Tell us how u started the taxi business? Was it your car or worked for some one?
Gasana: I started working as a taxi driver in 2001 up to 2007 and got another job as a driver in a company called Ericson 2011. But currently, I drive my own car on special hire basis.
Of course it’s big challenge getting the initial capital to start with; buying a car, insuring it and other taxes on top of regular technical car maintenance.
Igihe.com: Who are your clients and how do you charge them?
Our customers come from all angles around the city like patients going to the hospitals once their health requires medical services; people that are going to attend weddings, lovers going to night clubs, prostitutes, and so many other mostly those who are late from bars and night clubs.
Igihe.com:There are allegations that taximen connive with criminals, tell us. Is it true?
Gasana: Yes I do accept that some taxi men used to have collisions with criminals because it was chaotic. We used to park anywhere without being organized but I’m grateful to the government that brought the idea of forming cooperatives, where currently every taxi special has got a regular parking venue.
I personally operate at a gazetted Taxi-stage of Remera Giporoso and cooperative to which I’m a registered member called ‘Ejo Heza Hacu’. This has reduced criminal cases.
Igihe.com: From your personal observation, what’s the age range of both female and male who are regular clients that indulge in commercial sex?
Gasana: Even if it is illegal in our country these prostitutes are different categories, there are those that are always found along the streets and their fees range from 5,000francs to 10,000.
There are those who work on phone calls where their ‘clients’ call them to meet them at specific venues preferred like hotels to meet them and finish their ‘business’ from there.
The age ratio isn’t easy to guage; you cannot tell but from the look, especially females, most of them are young ranging from 16-40 years old. But to attract ‘client’ females must be young and sexy while their male counterparts do not have age limit; it depends on their financial ability to attract the sex workers.
Igihe.com: It’s alleged that taxi business is covertly involved in drugs syndicates. What is your take on this?
Gasana: Like I said before, that was before we re-organised into cooperatives and if there are some still involved in such criminal ventures, it is these taxi-men that operate from ungazetted point, because each taxi is registered under a certain cooperative.
Igihe.com: As a regular fuel consumer what are the causes of fuel shortages?
Gasana: In Rwanda we don’t have oil as a natural resource and fuel crosses many boarders to reach here after incurring taxes. This causes increase of fuel prices and directly affects us because we have to increase the charges to meet demands as you always hear any change in fuel price raises prices of many products in the country.
Igihe.com: What challenges do you encounter in your daily business and how do you overcome them?
Mostly we face the problem of these other taxis operating illegally without due requirements like paying taxes and membership fees to cooperatives.
They clandestinely hide like driving their own cars and sometimes outcompete us by charging lower fares, because they incur more costs. However, whenever they try to come on our stages, we chase them away but customers try to abuse us thinking we are habouring intentions of increasing the costs but that is not true, they should come and for us we are here to give them the service they need.
Igihe.com:Why do you think Rwandans stop working early?
Gasana: It is still a problem because Rwanda is trying to adapt to other countries yet for them they were used to working and retiring early, especially before 2000. i consider this as laziness. A driver gets the money he is supposed to pay to his boss and the conductor calls it a day yet there is more money to get at night.
Igihe.com: Do you enjoy what you do as a career taxi driver?
Gasana: Yes I really enjoy my job because I have obtained a lot of things which many educated people don’t have and I love and treasure my job as long as I am still alive.
Igihe.com: What would be the advice to your fellow taxi drivers?
All I can say is to work according to the government rules instead of always playing hide and seek with law enforcers because this also contributes to better security in the country.
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