Ban on night travel for buses sparks transport chaos as schools re-open

Thousands of travellers were stranded in different parts of the country Monday as restrictions on night-time operations imposed on buses and matatus continued to be felt.

Hardest hit were those travelling from upcountry to major towns and parents taking their children back to school.

At the Coast, passengers travelling from Malindi, Ukunda and Kilifi were stranded in Mombasa.

Students heading back to school after the December holidays were also affected by the ban of night travel imposed on public service vehicles as part of a strategy to curb road carnage.

Transport Principal Secretary Nduva Muli banned night travel last month following an increase in road crashes over the festive season. By mid-December over 3,000 lives had been lost on the roads despite stringent traffic regulations that saw offenders fined over Sh1.5 billion in a span of a few months.

Long-distance public transport vehicles travelling from 6pm and 6am are expected to get a licence from the National Safety and Transport Authority. To get the licence, they must meet certain conditions, including having a relief driver and making stop-overs at designated points for drivers to rest.

Many of the parents travelling with their children from Mombasa and its surroundings to schools in Nairobi and up-country asked the government to suspend the new regulation until the end of January.

Mr Leonard Masese, his wife and two children, who were travelling from Malindi to Kisii, said they had spent a night in Mombasa so that they could travel the following morning.

“We had to pay Sh1,000 for the rooms and we have even paid exorbitantly for the fare which has gone up by Sh400 more from the normal rate of Sh1,600,” Mr Masese said.

He and his family were likely to spend more on the way because their bus left Mombasa three hours late.

Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers Coast branch executive officer Sam Ikwae said the ban had affected the tourism in Mombasa.

According to him, the number of businesspeople who travel to or from Mombasa by night had decreased.

“We lost a huge number of such travellers because of the directive. The ban had good intentions but it has affected the industry,” he said, adding that there was a need for wider consultation before the ban was imposed.

In western Kenya, stranded travellers blamed the night travel ban for raised fares.

BOOKED UNTIL MID-MONTH

The few buses plying the Migori-Narok route during the day were overwhelmed by the high number of travellers.

Most affected were those returning to Nairobi after the festive season in their rural homes.

“I am supposed to be at work this week but I have found all the buses booked until mid-month. This may force me to spend Sh10,000 to take a taxi to the capital city,” said Mr William Atar who works with an international organisation in Nairobi.

The trip between Migori and Nairobi by bus costs between Sh800 and Sh1,200.

“The government should have suspended this ban to address real causes of road accidents in our country. This move has seriously affected our economy through the interference with movement of goods and services,” said Mr Erick Okello, a teacher in Nairobi stranded in Migori.

Many travellers Monday milled around the booking offices of Easy Coach, Transline and Nyamira Express bus companies in the hope of finding space in the already-booked buses.

The story was the same in Kisumu County where parents stranded at the bus stage called schools to alert them that their children would report late.

In Bomet County, students and other travellers headed to various destinations from the Bomet bus terminus were stranded after matatu operators raised fares to cash in on the re-opening of schools.

Those headed to Mombasa were asked to pay Sh2,500, instead of the usual Sh1,500, while those en route to Nairobi had to pay Sh1,000 instead of the normal Sh500.

A spot check by the Nation in Kakamega, Mumias, Butere, Malava, Matungu and Khwisero showed most operators had doubled their fares.

The increased fares left hundreds of parents who were escorting their children back to schools stranded at various bus termini for hours, forcing some of them to cancel their journeys.

Travellers from Kakamega to Nairobi were paying Sh2,000, from Sh1,000.

Most passengers in Kisii also failed to travel to various destinations due to the transport crisis.

In Siaya, passengers seeking to travel to Nairobi and Mombasa were informed that buses were fully booked for the next two weeks.

PSVs in Kericho increased fares several times.

In West Pokot County, many students could not report back to school on time due to the transport crisis on the Kitale-Lodwar road.

And those headed to other parts of the country were stranded in Eldoret Town.

In Nakuru, at least 30 drivers and their conductors were arrested on Sunday night for defying the new traffic regulations.

Their passengers spent the night at a local police station as they waited for alternative means of transport.

Nakuru police boss Bernard Kioko confirmed that most of those arrested were trying to cash in on the high demand for transport services.

In Kitui County, parents had to pay twice the normal fare from Mwingi to Nairobi. Those interviewed said vehicles had raised fares due to the ban on night travel.

As some schools opened Monday, parents and students were being charged Sh1,000 instead of the normal Sh400 from Mwingi to Nairobi.

In Nyeri, cartels and private vehicles did booming business due to the transport crisis.

2NK Sacco operations manager John Maregwa, said the unlicensed operators waited until 4am and start taking in passengers.

His sentiments were supported by the 4NT Sacco Nyeri branch chairman, Mr Wilson Wachira, who lamented that PSVs were most inconvenienced by the night travel ban.

There has been a reduction in the number of PSVs involved in fatal accidents over the holiday season.

The last major accident was reported on Saturday when four people were killed after their bus rolled on the Lamu-Malindi road.

Six people perished when an overloaded matatu crashed near Chogoria in Meru on the same day.

Reported By Evelyne Musambi, Timothy Kemei, Wachira Mwangi, Everline Okewo, Elisha Otieno, Geoffrey Rono, Maurice Kaluoch, John Shilitsa, Benson Amadala, Jackline Moraa, Nelcon Odhiambo, Mercy Tomkou, Dennis Lubanga, and Magdalene Wanja.