matatu operators, the county govt. fight at Green Park terminal

The delay in operationalising the Sh 250 million Nairobi s Green Park bus terminus is due to a fight between matatu operators and the county government.

The Federation of Public Transport Sector Chairman Edwin Mukabana told the Business Daily that motorists did not ask for any extension but were refusing to park at the new station because they could not agree on how it should be operated.

The increased passenger fare charged at the facility, the safety of passengers and the possibility that the new parking could cause congestion in Nairobi were the main factors that were the main issues of disagreement.

The GP terminal fares at Green Park varied depending on operator and individual bus fares. Fares at GP were higher than what was charged in the CBD. While using GP, the poor felt disadvantaged, said Mukabanah.

He said that the safety of passengers at Green Park was a concern because passengers were not being screened when boarding buses.

Pickpocket incidents at the Green Park terminal were likely to increase. He said that CBD has CCTV, which was not seen at the Green Park Terminal.

It was very difficult for passengers to get access to services as they had to walk from the eastern side of the city to the park and vice versa.

This means that the time taken to get to public transport from both ends was too long, resulting in unnecessary extra expenses.

CBD connectivity was close to rail and other modes. It was not easy for passengers to get to a destination such as Westlands, Ngara, Gikomba, Machakos Country Bus, he said.

The 250 million terminus at the former Lunar Park is able to hold between 300 and 350 vehicles at any one time, processing about 1,000 PSVs per hour and up to 20,000 per day.

Touting was not allowed at the terminus and matatus took only 20 minutes within the stage.

All staff drivers, conductors, and route marshals were expected to have badges with names, photos, uniforms, sacco or company names. There was a staff member on every route to assist in operations at the terminus.

Matatus was also barred from picking up or dropping passengers at non-designated places, including the entire stretch of the exit road.

The bus terminal was to serve as a pick-up and drop-off point for matatus from Ngong, Karen, Rongai, Kikuyu, Dagoretti, Kawangware, Kibra, Highrise, Ngumo, Langata, Nairobi West, Makadara, Kaberia, Satellite and Kiserian.