Mystery of bus firm still on the roads despite ban
Passengers wait for buses outside a Modern Coast booking office on Jomo Kenyatta Avenue in Mombasa City on December 29, 2022.
When did the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) lift the July suspension for the operator’s licence for Modern Coast Express Limited?
Did the company comply with safety guidelines following the Nithi crash in which 36 passengers died? These are some of the hard questions Kenyans are grappling with after another bus belonging to the company got involved in a road accident in Kisii.
After the July crash, NTSA Director-General George Njao said the operations of the bus company had been halted across seven routes where it operates.
NTSA was also to evaluate the bus company’s safety operation standards, Mr Njao added.
But the Nation has learnt that the suspension was lifted and the company’s buses allowed back on the roads. Mr Njao did not respond to our queries when the Nation reached out to him over the lifting of the suspension.
Suspension lifted?
But an NTSA official confirmed the suspension had been lifted but declined to shed more light on the happenings.
“Get the details from the National Police Service because we normally work closely with them. They do the enforcement and, now that there was a crash, they would be in a better position to answer that question on when the suspension was lifted and why,” said the senior official who declined to be identified.
However, Coast traffic boss Peter Maina said they are yet to receive any official communication and clarity regarding the lifting of the operator’s license. He wondered why NTSA never informed them regarding the lifting of the ban.
“On the day they suspended the company’s operations after the tragic Nithi accident, we were officially informed. But this time we have not received any communication from NTSA regarding the lifting of their license. I have seen from the media that their bus was involved in another accident so I am wondering how yet it was suspended. I am reaching out to NTSA and I will get back to you,” said Mr Maina.
He said once he gets clarity from NTSA, the traffic department will know how to deal with the issue.
The firm’s woes began in 2017 after more than 15 people died in a horrific 13-vehicle pile-up at the Sachangwan black spot on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.
A Modern Coast bus, two trucks and a land cruiser that was headed to Kampala from Nairobi were involved in the crash that left several others with critical injuries. In 2019, NTSA enforced the first suspension of Modern Coast operations following safety issues and major road crashes that claimed seven lives. The regulator assured Kenyans that it would also evaluate the bus company’s safety operation standards.
The regulator said it had also shut down the online portal grounding 88 vehicles. However, the suspension was later lifted.
Another suspension
In July this year, NTSA slapped the company with yet another suspension, after their bus plunged into Nithi River at the Nithi bridge black spot, killing 36 people and injuring scores of others. However, it is unclear how or when the suspension was lifted despite safety concerns of some of its 88 buses.
Kisii Central Police boss Amos Ambasa said the ill-fated bus, which was carrying an unknown number of passengers, was heading to Homa Bay from Mombasa.
Police said the bus was reversing at Makutano junction along Kisii Nyamira road where their offices are located but the driver failed to control the vehicle, hitting a stationary Toyota Hiace, registration number KCP 599X, owned by Edgerton Njori Sacco.
“It got damaged on the left rear side and fatally injured an unknown middle-aged man,” said Mr Ambasa. The bus plunged into River Masosa after which an unknown number of passengers were rescued. However, the transporter contradicted the police, saying, there were no casualties.
“Our bus was reversing down a steep murram road to park down a slope when it hit a matatu. As a result, the driver panicked and the bus [crashed] into a ditch.”
“All 43 passengers on the bus alighted safely and some with minor injuries were taken for treatment whilst others are continuing their journeys with a replacement. There were no casualties,” stated the company on social media. NTSA officials revealed to the Nation that most of the vehicles are faulty.
“But please wait for the official statement, it was a wrong move to lift the suspension. I don’t know who was involved,” said the source who requested anonymity. On December 17, passengers were stranded in Mombasa after their Modern Coast bus developed mechanical problems.
“We regret to inform the general public and our customers in particular, that despite our best efforts, our customers travelling from Mombasa to Busia via Kisumu yesterday experienced delays in departures, due to a slight mechanical hitch. The factor resulted in our departures being delayed more often than not” said a statement from the company. The company later sent another bus to ferry the affected passengers.
