Be reasonable, PS Kagwe tells PSVs over fare hikes

Arbitrary fare hikes and jostling for fewer vehicles characterised public transport yesterday, leaving several commuters stranded as guidelines on passenger capacity for vehicles took effect to tame coronavirus.

The rules were issued by the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe last week to ensure safety of commuters from the killer virus in the usually crowded public transport vehicles. 

 And yesterday, a spot-check around the island City of Mombasa found several passengers stranded because some matatu operators had hiked fares to make up for the lost revenue as a result of carrying fewer passengers and buying of hand sanitisers.

But yesterday evening, during his updates on coronavirus, Kagwe cautioned matatu operators against hiking fares saying it is “immoral and unfair” to expect to earn the same amount of money when every sector has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

He appealed to them to be reasonable and bear the burden like everybody else, saying their appetite for profits could be counterproductive.

Some matatu operators took advantage of the desperate commuters to double fares.

Kagwe had on Friday ordered 14-seater matatus to ferry just eight passengers at a time, 25-seaters to carry 15. Buses with a capacity of 30 and above were directed to operate at a capacity of 60 per cent. This rule was also to apply to SGR and the commuter trains.

But the directive appears to have been ignored by many. The fare hikes affected many routes across the country with operators in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Kisii, Migori, Eldoret and Kakamega saying it will be difficult to keep their vehicles on the road unless the government gives them incentives.

Defending the move, Matutu Owners Association chairman Simon Kimutai blamed the fare hike on the government’s failure to offer incentives to the sector.

He said the operators had petitioned the government to scrap fuel tax and levies as the world grapples with the effects of Covid-19 crisis to enable PSVs to remain in business in the wake of passengers limit order.

Cushion sector

“Without tax and fuel levies subsidies, it will be hard for us to remain offering the essential services. We have complied but passengers using the vehicles will have to foot the cost of extra seats,” he said.

Kimutai said PSVs operation costs are at 80 per cent and even before the coronavirus outbreak the sector was bleeding.

In Kisii, for instance, the operators, who had increased the fares between Sh50 and Sh400, said they were forced to do so to meet the cost of fuel and generate profit.

Passengers travelling from Kisii to Busia were forced to pay Sh1,200 up from Sh800 while those travelling to Nakuru parted with Sh700 up from Sh600.

PSVs in Mombasa also hiked fares by 100 per cent starting yesterday morning in a bid to cover for possible loss while complying with government’s directive.

Long distance travellers were not spared either as those from Nairobi to Embu were forced to pay Sh900 to Sh1,000 up from the normal Sh600.

Those travelling to Nakuru from Nairobi paid Sh500 to Sh600 up from Sh300.

In the North Rift region, the operators led by their chairman Fred Wamu said they had been forced to increase the fare to cushion the matatu sector from crumbling in the wake of the deadly virus.

 Those travelling from Eldoret to Kakamega will start paying Sh400 each up from Sh300 while those from Eldoret to Kitale will part with Sh300 up from the previous Sh200 each. 

Those travelling from Eldoret to Nakuru town will start to pay Sh600 each up from Sh400 while the fare from Eldoret to Bungoma has been increased from Sh300 to Sh 400 each.

 PSVs operators in Kisumu also doubled fare to their destinations by up to 100 per cent.

 The biggest hit route is Kisumu to Migori where fare was originally Sh400 but now costs double the figure.

The operators say that is the only way to stay in business being that the number of passengers they carry has reduced by nearly half following the directive issued to check the spread of coronavirus.