BRT buses will charge Sh150 per trip
A Bus Rapid Transport station under construction along Thika road.
What you need to know:
- Namata Director-General Francis Gitau said the BRT is 70 per cent done.
- Passengers will be charged a flat rate at the beginning, the distance notwithstanding.
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system along the Thika Superhighway will be launched in June and city residents will pay Sh150 per trip, the Nation has established.
Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (Namata) Director-General Francis Gitau said the BRT is 70 per cent done, adding that passengers will be charged a flat rate at the beginning, the distance notwithstanding.
“Passengers will pay Sh150 per trip on Line 2, which is the longest at 27 kilometres. This is only during the trial phase, which will start at Kasarani and terminate at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). However, once everything starts running smoothly, we’ll see what to do,” Eng Gitau said.
He was speaking during a press briefing at Ardhi House and was accompanied by the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Charles Hinga.
“We are working at the factory on the structures, which once completed, will be delivered on site and fitted. Work is still going on and we are expecting to start trials by latest July,” he said.
The BRT will have dedicated lanes and is being constructed by Stecol Corporation, previously known as SinoHydro Tianjin Engineering Company Ltd. It’s expected to ease traffic congestion in the city.
Other than Kasarani, the other BRT line will start in Ruiru and also end at KNH terminal. Along the line, there will be 13 stations with 24 platforms – two-line transfer stations reserved for future lines that are not counted in this project.
“Ten existing footbridges are being modified by adding staircases in the middle to allow for passengers entering and exiting the stations,” said Mr Hinga.
The buses will share the road with other vehicles, but will have a designated inner lane.
The high capacity electric buses, the PS noted, are expected to reduce the cost of public transport as they will be cheaper to operate, attract better financing and reduce the country’s carbon footprint.
The government last week locked out petrol and diesel-powered buses.
Only electric and hybrid vehicles – which use a mixture of electric and fossil fuel as well as hydrogen and biogas – will be deployed on the dedicated lane for large-capacity buses.
“We want to lead from the front when it comes to (fight against) climate change. We have an opportunity to move from rhetoric to actualising this aspiration,” Mr Hinga said.
In the coming months, the government is expected to procure up to 100 high-capacity buses that will increase to 300 in subsequent orders. Eventually, there will be 660 when the entire lane is completed.
“The initial fleet is 100 but going up to 300 in subsequent orders. We are targeting June or July. Local content is minimum 40 per cent,” the PS said.
A park-and-ride facility is being set up at Kasarani, where motorists heading to the city centre can leave their vehicles and use BRT buses for the remainder of the journey.
