NTSA to meet Embassava Sacco over suspension
National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Director-General Francis Meja at a past event. The transport regulator will meet suspended Embasaava Sacco members over the ban imposed on the sacco's vehicles. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The authority last Wednesday suspended the operations of the sacco indefinitely until its vehicles meet certain conditions.
- According to NTSA Director-General Francis Meja, the Embassava bus driver was to blame for the road crash.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has scheduled a meeting with suspended Embassava Sacco members to discuss a ban imposed on the sacco's vehicles.
The meeting, to be held Tuesday at the NTSA’s head offices in the Upper Hill Plaza, will be a welcome relief to commuters using the Eastlands route whose options for transport have been reduced by the suspension of the Embassava Sacco buses.
The authority last Wednesday suspended the operations of the sacco indefinitely until its vehicles meet certain conditions.
NTSA Director-General Francis Meja said the operators would be allowed back on the road only after fulfilling conditions set by the authority.
The sacco was suspended Wednesday over a road crash that involved an Embassava bus and another public service vehicle belonging to Forward Sacco.
According to Mr Meja, the Embassava bus driver was to blame for the road crash after failing to obey traffic lights at the junction of Jogoo Road and Rabai Road.
COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT
The driver of the Forward Sacco vehicle died and 21 passengers were injured in the June 18 incident.
The ban created a transport crisis for commuters from most parts of Nairobi's Eastlands, given that the sacco has a large fleet of commuter vehicles.
The Matatu Welfare Association protested the suspension and claimed that the collective punishment is an abuse of their rights.
According to the NTSA, any transport operator who contravenes public service vehicle (PSV) regulations will be suspended until they comply with all the conditions.
The NTSA said that after the June 18 crash, Embassava Sacco was asked to produce a formal response to an audit checklist and documentation of their operations.
The sacco was found to have failed to comply with regulations, including failing to employ drivers.
"This is a serious omission as the rationale of the requirement was to ensure only qualified and licensed drivers drive PSVs," a statement from the NTSA read.
"This requirement is also aimed at eliminating what is known as 'squad drivers' where unknown and unlicensed persons are given a PSV for a few trips," it added.
