PSV saccos join the war against accidents

A few days ago a traffic police officer flagged down a matatu in Nairobi’s Ngara area. Instead of obeying the order, the driver sped off, hitting the officer in the process.

The sacco under which the matatu operates summoned both the driver and owner of the public service vehicle (PSV), and suspended the vehicle and driver for 40 days. That was not the end of it.

The sacco then wrote to the Traffic Commandant and the Transport Licensing Board (TLB) detailing what had happened and the steps taken to discipline the errant driver.

“We are happy that some public service transport providers like this sacco are working towards restoring sanity on Kenyan roads,” Traffic officer Dolly Oduori, who heads the Roads Policing Unit at the Kenya Police Traffic Headquarters, told the Sunday Nation.

According to Ms Oduori, they are looking at ways of settling the issue out of court.

This week, a driver for the Starbus company plying Waiyaki Way was accused by passengers of reckless behaviour.

According to them, the driver was counting money, texting and driving at the same time.

Two pedestrians were killed as a result of this particular recklessness, adding to a long trail of blood and tears that matatu and other careless drivers have left in their wake.

In Kenya’s maddening road transport system, there is a matatu involved in most road accidents that police say are on the rise.

In 2010, 3,055 accidents were reported; the number rose to 3,302 last year.

“By the end of this year, we fear that the number of road accidents may hit the 4,000 mark,” Traffic Commandant Joseph ole Tito told a media sensitisation workshop on road safety at Fish Eagle Hotel in Naivasha last Tuesday.

Police say they have saccos notorious for reckless drivers on their watch list and will soon publish the names of those that are repeat offenders countrywide.

For instance, last week a Paradiso bus was involved in a road accident in Nairobi’s Pangani area, hitting a child who was crossing the road.

“It is wrong for some people to accuse us (Paradiso) of frequently being involved in accidents.

“The main cause is the un-marked Thika superhighway which is making navigation difficult,” Warria Mohammed, an inspector at Paradiso, said.

“Also to blame are drivers of cars who carelessly move from one side of the road to another as it is difficult for a bus driver to notice them. Also there are cases of careless pedestrians crossing the road.”

But while some matatu operators are repeat offenders in road carnage and indiscipline cases, there are others who have been praised by the police and passengers for good conduct and adherence to traffic rules.

Passengers, traffic police officers and matatu operators interviewed for this story were particularly full of praise for 10 public service transport providers on various route: Easy Coach, Kensilver Express, 2NK, Riakanau, Transline, Mololine, Embasava, North Rift, 4NTE and Matuu’s Dama coaches.

In these companies, drivers are vetted before they are employed. Stickers are placed inside the vehicles to report staff in case of questionable behaviour.

In the past three years, 2NK has lost only two drivers in tragic accidents. “One of them was hit by a speeding safari rally driver and the other by a reckless lorry driver,” 2NK’s Supervisor Richard Mwangi said.

The sacco, which operates a fleet of 700 vehicles, employs various means to instil discipline among its staff.

2NK operates vehicles to and from Eldoret, Embu, Nakuru, and Nyahururu and has five buses plying the Mombasa route.

“Our drivers attend quarterly seminars where they are trained on road safety. Drunk drivers are dismissed immediately,” Mr Mwangi said.

Traffic polic praise 2NK and 4NTE for running an efficient command system that enables the management to locate their vehicles and monitor how long they take to reach their destination. Travellers praise North Rift and Transline for exemplary customer service.