Why souped up matatus account for more accidents

Matatu crews are blaming the extra effort required to return cash spent on styling up matatus as the main reason for reckless driving.

“Souping up” or “pimping” a ride, as the process is commonly known, is not cheap.

Most of the souped up city matatus took up more than their purchase price to do the creative body work, install music screens and lights, CCTV cameras and powerful sound systems.

Take Dandora’s 'Black Market' which gobbled up more than Sh3 million just to pimp it up.

The gold and grey coloured matatu has a VIP lounge and offers free internet to passengers.

Some of the city’s notable matatus with graffiti include Golden Phantom (Rongai route), Catalyst (Rongai route), Iggy (Kiambu Road), Ngamia (South C), Mad Max (Rongai route), Bentley, Smoke City (Buruburu), World Boss (Eastleigh), Black Market (Dandora) and Snoop Lion (Ngong).

“When you work for such PSVs, you have to put up more time and effort to meet the high daily target. Our daily target is almost double that of the ordinary PSVs,” says John Njoroge, a director in one of the city’s matatu saccos.

It costs at least Sh600,000 for colour decorations alone and up to Sh4 million for additions like music systems, flat screen television sets, Wi-Fi and of late VIP suites and even a fish aquarium on the floor of one of the vehicles plying the Nairobi Rongai route.

Like most commercial vehicles, what the owner buys from the showroom is a chassis which costs about Sh4 million.

The body is fitted by fabricators according to the taste and financial muscle of the owner.

And when you add an extra Sh5 million for pimping it up, the cost comes to Sh9 million and thus the vehicle has to make extra trips and charge riders more in order to recover its investment.

Catalyst, a matatu that operates on the Rongai route, has installed LED screens on its floor, a fascinating rotating floor projector and all seats installed with small screens at the back through which you can watch the English Premier League matches live on a crazy traffic day.

EXPENSIVE AFFAIR
In total, it has 40 screens including a 52-inch at the front and a 20-inch at the back, 350 bulbs, colourful snake lights around the floor and the matatu was the first in Kenya to use AME rims meant for Mercedes Benz vehicles.

That’s not all. At its rear wheels, there is an imitation of Prado rims.

If the sound from Catalyst’s four woofers and 10 mid-range speakers is turned up to full volume, even those standing next to the vehicle risk an ear drum burst.

Along Kiambu road, the number 100 Iggy matatu has an attractive explosion of baby pink, that shines both on the outside and its interior, five woofers, nine screens and 15 mid-range speakers to support both audio and video.

The PSV also includes video monitors, several CCTV cameras and a sunroof.

Along the South B route, you will ride Ngamia 2, a 14-seater matatu which was the first PSV in Nairobi to be fitted with “suicide doors” only found in state-of-the-art vehicles, mostly owned by international celebrities.

Other features include a 42-inch screen with in-built decoder and tablets for interested passengers to take selfies with the matatu crew.

Sadam Ali, the owner of Ngamia 2, explains that he bought the vehicle for Sh600,000 and spent a lot more to pimp it up.

Mad Max, which operates on the Ongata Rongai route, is named after the 1979 Australian dystopian action film and has a gold coloured exterior while World Boss on the Eastleigh route spots Rasta colours and mostly plays reggae music.

All Blacks, part of the Ongata Line Sacco fleet, got its names from the New Zealand national men’s rugby team.

The exterior of All Blacks comprises photos of the mean-looking New Zealand players and has Samsung tablets installed on the seats.