Hundreds left stranded as buses are overbooked

Passengers travelling back to Nairobi queue at the Kensilver booking office on January 3, 2017. Many travellers across the country were stranded as public service vehicles doubled fares at the close of the festive season. PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • In Kisii County, many were forced to wait for hours outside various booking offices.
  • The offices of popular transporters such as those Transline and Smartline were full of passengers waiting for vehicles that were not forthcoming.
  • Those travelling to Machakos, Thika and Nairobi on Tuesday paid a flat rate of Sh700, up from the usual Sh300 or Sh400.
  • The fare from Meru to Nairobi also rose, with travellers paying Sh800, up from Sh500.

Hundreds of travellers across the country returning to towns after the holidays were left stranded as public service vehicles grappled to meet high demand.

In Kisii County, many were forced to wait for hours outside various booking offices.

Christine Mokaya said she woke up early to get an express matatu to Nakuru, but three hours later she was yet to get one. She said most vehicles were fully booked by the time she got to the booking office.

The offices of popular transporters such as those Transline and Smartline were full of passengers waiting for vehicles that were not forthcoming.

However, business was good for the operators, with Godfrey Mogaka, a manager at Transline, saying the higher demand had boosted their business.

In Kitui, travellers were stranded, with matatu owners doubling fares to various destinations.

Those travelling to Machakos, Thika and Nairobi on Tuesday paid a flat rate of Sh700, up from the usual Sh300 or Sh400.

Some people, however, opted to go back to their homes and wait for a few days with hopes that the fares would drop to the usual charges.

The fare from Meru to Nairobi also rose, with travellers paying Sh800, up from Sh500. On Monday evening, some operators, taking advantage of desperate travellers, were charging up to Sh1,500 from Meru Town to Nairobi.

But in Embu Town, transport out of the town was paralysed for about three hours Tuesday morning, after matatu workers took to the streets to protest against higher levies imposed by the county government.

The matatu operators used more than 200 vehicles to barricade the busy Embu-Nairobi highway, completely bringing traffic to a standstill.

Led by county Matatu Owners Association chairman Robinson Munyi, the operators complained that county officials had arbitrarily increased the charges from Sh1,200 to Sh3,000, per month starting in January.

The protest left hundreds of travellers stranded at bus parks, with some travelling to nearby destinations opting for boda bodas.

Reported by Elgar Machuka, Thomas Waita, by Bruhan Makong and Charles Wanyoro