Saturday
June 2, 2012
June 2, 2012
News
Travellers outside a matatu booking office in Eldoret after public
transport operators increased fare to Nairobi from Sh800 to Sh1000 in
April. Photo/FILE
By ATHUMAN MTULYA amtulya@ke.nationmedia.com and LAILLAH MOHAMMED lmohammed@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, June 2 2012 at 22:30
Posted Saturday, June 2 2012 at 22:30
Major players in the public transport industry have
urged the government to introduce a law to control fares to instil
discipline in the sector and curtail exploitation of passengers by rogue
operators.
Their calls come amid fears of possible chaos as
passengers in major towns organise themselves to protest at arbitrary
fare increases.
Matatu Owners Association (MOA) chairman Simon
Kimutai said that although they had attempted to regulate fares by
introducing the Sacco system, whereby operators organise themselves to
manage their routes, they were still finding it a challenge.
“It is important to have control and we implore the government to step in and regulate the sector,” Mr Kimutai told the Sunday Nation.
Kenya Bus Services (KBS) managing director Edwin Mukabana also said that some form of regulation was necessary in the sector.
“We must have a government-backed authority in our
sector just like in the air, railway and marine transport sectors,” Mr
Mukabana said.
He added that although the long-distance routes
served by Saccos operate on near regulated systems, this changes during
high season like Christmas and other public holidays.
Frequent fare increases have been seen to draw the ire of commuters especially in Nairobi and its environs.
Last month, some matatu crews plying route 125/126
(Nairobi-Rongai-Kiserian) were stoned by passengers at the Railways bus
terminus in Nairobi for reportedly increasing the fare from Sh50 to
Sh300.
Mr John Kabucho, a Rongai resident who was at the
bus terminus on the day of the attack, said the matatu operators took
advantage of the large number of people awaiting the service to charge
between Sh250 and Sh300.
He had to wait another two hours until 9.30 pm before a bus charging Sh100 came along.
“As a commuter and businessman, I feel the
government has abandoned me. I prefer flat-rate fare, as it will help me
to manage my finances,” he said.
Mr Erastus Muiruri, a matatu conductor, shares the
same view with Mr Kabucho. He said the government should look into the
situation and ensure that both parties benefit.
But Mr Peter Ngamau, a driver on the Rongai route,
sought to justify the the fare increases saying that sometimes the
matatu crews are forced to do so to make up for losses incurred due to
traffic jams.
Regarding the Railways incident, he said, trouble
started at around 7.30 p.m. on a rainy evening that culminated in heavy
traffic in the city.
“It takes 30 minutes to get into town from Rongai.
However, that day it took about three hours due to heavy traffic and we
were forced to raise the prices to recoup our losses,” he said.
Mr Mukabana wishes Kenya goes beyond the Tanzanian model by streamlining how passengers board vehicles.
But the government is sceptical about the idea. The
ministry of Transport says that regulation of matatu fares might not
work in a free economy like Kenya’s.
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