When Anthea Sugira joined the eBRT2030 project in Kigali, she didn’t expect that the fieldwork would change how she sees her own city, and her role in it.

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As part of the team studying Rwanda’s first electric bus pilots, Anthea spent days listening to passengers, drivers, and operators across the city. What she found was a simple but powerful truth:

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“Sustainable mobility isn’t only about technology”, she says. “It’s about people, about improving daily life in simple, practical ways”.

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A young researcher in motion

For Anthea, this was her first time conducting a mobility survey. She visited terminals, interviewed passengers, and collected stories from women carrying goods to markets at dawn, from bus drivers adapting to new technology, and from operators managing routes and charging schedules.

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“It was an opportunity to feel useful to society,” she explains. “Listening to people made me realize that research isn’t just about data, it’s about giving them a voice.”

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Over just a few days, Anthea and her team spoke to more than 100 passengers, 20 drivers, and several operators, including women drivers, a rare sight in Kigali’s transport sector.

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What the people said

Most passengers said they preferred electric buses over diesel ones. They found them faster, more reliable, and more comfortable, with air conditioning, cleaner interiors, and smoother rides.

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“They are less crowded”, Anthea recalls passengers saying. “People can finally travel calmly, without rushing or waiting too long.”

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Women passengers also shared how these changes directly affect their work. One woman, who brings vegetables to the market every morning, told Anthea that the e-bus helps her arrive earlier, and that the absence of fumes makes her journey easier and healthier.

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“She said she no longer feels sick during the ride”. Anthea remembers. “That story made the benefits of clean mobility very real for me”.

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Many women echoed this sentiment, highlighting that electric buses are cheaper, safer, and more dignified, giving them more control over their time and comfort.

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Challenges on the road

But the research also revealed key challenges. Drivers and operators spoke about the limited number of charging stations, which forces all buses to return to headquarters to recharge. This reduces flexibility, causes delays, and makes expansion difficult.

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Anthea took note of their concerns.

“If the number of e-buses grows, it will be hard to charge them all in one place. We need more charging points across the city”, she says.

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These insights show how listening to people’s experiences can guide the next steps for Rwanda’s e-mobility transition.

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Growing through research

Through her time with eBRT2030, Anthea discovered not just the potential of electric transport, but also her own path forward.

“It gave me confidence”, she says. “I learned that I have the patience and curiosity to connect research with real people’s needs”.

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She now dreams of combining her technical knowledge and empathy to help design transport systems that are both sustainable and inclusive.

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“My message to other women is: don’t hold back. Mobility research and planning need diverse perspectives and your ideas can shape the future of transport”.

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The bigger picture

Behind Anthea’s story is a broader movement. The eBRT2030 project, funded by the European Union, is helping Rwanda demonstrate that electric buses can work in African cities. By testing new technologies and collecting local insights, it is preparing the country for a cleaner and more efficient transport future.

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But for Sugira, the most meaningful outcome is personal:

“When people trust you with their stories, you understand that progress is not abstract, it’s about lives, comfort, and dignity”.