Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) has fined about 100 public transport operators for illegally increasing fares following a revision of transport tariffs in early April, warning that further violations could result in penalties of up to Rwf200,000. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) announced on Friday that the fines, ranging between Rwf100,000 and Rwf200,000, were issued following routine compliance inspections across the transport sector. RURA said some operators had exploited recent fuel price adjustments to charge fares beyond approved limits, in some cases billing

Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) has fined about 100 public transport operators for illegally increasing fares following a revision of transport tariffs in early April, warning that further violations could result in penalties of up to Rwf200,000.

The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) announced on Friday that the fines, ranging between Rwf100,000 and Rwf200,000, were issued following routine compliance inspections across the transport sector.

RURA said some operators had exploited recent fuel price adjustments to charge fares beyond approved limits, in some cases billing passengers up to Rwf2,000 on routes where the regulated fare does not exceed Rwf1,400. Most violations were recorded among non-express, multi-stop operators commonly known as Twegerane.

Operators were penalized both for overcharging passengers and for failing to issue tickets, according to the authority.

RURA revised transport tariffs following fuel price increases announced on April 3, which set the maximum retail price of petrol at Rwf2,303 per liter, up from Rwf1,989, and diesel at Rwf2,205 per litre, up from Rwf1,948. The revised transport fares took effect on April 6, setting the base fare in Kigali at Rwf59.28 per passenger per kilometer and intercity fares at Rwf41.58 per passenger per kilometer.

Fuel prices have since risen further. A new tariff announced by RURA on April 16 raised petrol to Rwf2,938 per liter, while diesel remained unchanged.

RURA said the price adjustments were driven by international market trends and government efforts to cushion the domestic economy from global fuel price fluctuations.

The authority is also considering promoting cashless payment systems to address fare inconsistencies linked to a lack of change. Passengers were encouraged to report irregularities through RURA's toll-free line 2222 or its official social media platforms.

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