Tough times ahead for PSV operators in Nairobi
Matatus wait for passengers at Ngara stage on Mashujaa Day.
What you need to know:
- Matatu operators are also reeling from the periodic jump in fuel prices seen over the last few months following an uptick in demand.
- NMS boss Mohammed Badi last month communicated plans to kick them out of the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) by November.
Public transport service operators are fighting for survival from multi-pronged fronts ranging from limited capacity, cheaper cabs, high fuel prices and a plan to kick them out of the capital city.
But on top of their woes, they want regulations capping the number of passengers lifted.
Matatu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai says the regulations should now be lifted following efforts to reopen the economy.
“Our revenues have fallen up to 50 percent as people are no longer moving across places as often as they used to. There is also an air of fear regarding Covid-19 which has kept many commuters away while many people have not returned to work,” Mr Kimutai told the Nation.
Matatu operators are also reeling from the periodic jump in fuel prices seen over the last few months following an uptick in demand.
Another battlefront matatus are facing is from the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) as Director-General Mohammed Badi last month communicated plans to kick them out of the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) by November in a bid to decongest the city, a move that will see matatus drop passengers in locations away from the city centre.
