Samuel Siringi And Sammy Cheboi
2 November 2008
Nairobi — Security fears on Kenyan roads and commuters' desire for more comfortable road transportation are pushing bus companies to the brink of collapse as passengers seek alternative forms of travel.
With criminal gangs taking control of some long distance routes, especially during and after the bloody post-election violence, passengers have been resorting to faster means of road transport, including matatus.
Avoid travelling
New "shuttle" matatus designed to carry only nine passengers have been mushrooming on major upcountry routes and are luring travellers away from the traditional buses because of their promise of security and comfort.
Passengers are searched for concealed weapons while picking up people on the road is banned, even if some seats might be unoccupied.
Because of increasing insecurity, most people now avoid travelling at night, denying long distance bus operators who prefer to travel at night much-needed income.
Into a corner
The exodus of passengers to the more comfortable shuttle matatus has pushed bus companies into a corner and many of them, especially those that used to operate in the western region, have had to close shop.
As the December and New Year festive season beckons, the harsh reality of insecure roads and cut-throat competition for passengers is dawning, with some companies like Akamba Bus Services introducing shuttles to remain competitive and in business.
According to Mr Joseph Maingi, security operations manager at the firm, the company has recently acquired a number of shuttle matatus in addition to its fleet of buses.
But he says the new development is not a result of increasing competition from shuttle companies.
"We are not threatened at all by shuttle service operators. We are an established company with a track record of excellent customer service and fair and consistent charges," Mr Maingi said.
Mr Maingi said the newly acquired 41-seater shuttle matatus are geared towards offering improved and competitive services.
Tighter measures
He, however, declined to disclose how many shuttle buses the company had acquired.
Insecurity on the highways, especially the Nakuru-Eldoret route, has also forced the company to put in place tighter security measures to ensure its passengers get to their destinations safely.
Mr Maingi said the company hires the services of a police escort from time to time as the security situation might demand.
"There are times when we need a police escort and the festive season is one such time. We want to make sure that our customers reach their destinations safely and as scheduled," Mr Maingi said.
He said stringent security measures have been effected to screen robbers posing as passengers from boarding the company's buses.
In addition to using metal detectors to screen passengers, the company also prohibits hawking in its buses at stopover points.
"We have banned hawkers from selling wares through the bus windows since some have turned out to be accomplices who pass on weapons to criminals who might have escaped our security checks and boarded the bus," he said.
Other measures include keeping in touch with all police patrol cars on the highways to make it easier to seek their assistance when the need arises.
Tickets issued to passengers contain the managers' contact details so that passengers can get in touch with them in case bus crews break the law or put their safety at risk.
At North Rift Shuttle Services, managers are gloating over their new-found fortune, thanks to consistent fares and a huge fleet of comfortable and fast minibuses.
Mr Tabman Siocha, a manager at the commuter transport firm, says their ability to provide comfortable, fast and reliable transport services has attracted a lot of customers.
Launched in August, 2005, the company has experienced very few security hitches on the roads, which Mr Siocha attributes to a policy travelling only during the day.
"Many customers prefer our services because the shuttles are comfortable. We also only travel during the day," he said.
He said insecurity problems on the Eldoret-Nairobi route were a major concern to the company, but assured passengers that measures to ensure their safety are in place.
Mr Siocha said that although the post-election violence presented serious security problems for the company, it had not experienced an ugly incident.
Consistent pricing is also an advantage over the bus companies whose fares fluctuate from time to time. Mr Siocha assured passengers that fares would not go up because of the Christmas and New Year festivities.
"Our pricing regime is revised from time to time, but we don't increase fares just because many people are travelling upcountry.
"The only unfortunate thing is that on such occasions, we run short of vehicles to cater for all those intending to travel," he said.
He said the company had, however, bought two buses, which he claimed, were as comfortable as the mini buses.
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