These are the new hiked fares you’ll pay in NYS buses, agency boss tells Nairobians

By Lazarus Maitha.

The National Youth Service (NYS) Executive Council now contemplates increasing bus fare charges from Ksh20 to between Ksh50 and Ksh100 to sustain its operations, the agency’s director-general, Matilda Sakwa, said on Thursday, August 22.

Ms Sakwa said out of 27 buses which had -- in 2018 -- been deployed to transport commuters around Nairobi, only 17 buses are operational while the ten others are grounded due to tough operation and maintenance costs.

The decision to deploy the NYS buses was made to cushion commuters from the high bus fares that are charged by public commuter vehicles in Nairobi.

If the plan by NYS to hike fares is implemented, then Nairobians will be forced to dig deeper into their pockets to facilitate their transportation.

“What we are saying is if we want to continue engaging in the transport business using the buses, we must review the charges,” said Ms Sakwa.

“We are contemplating increasing the fares from Ksh20 to at least Ksh50 for the sake of the business’s sustainability,” said Ms Sakwa.

The NYS Council spoke when they appeared before the National Assembly Labour and Social Welfare Committee, led by Ali Wario, on Thursday.

The committee held its sitting at Tamarind Hotel in Mombasa.

“We want revenue from the service that we are offering. We, therefore, need the Nairobians’ support,” said Ms Sakwa, adding: “We want to be self-sufficient in the next three years. We are currently depending on Government support only.”

“For us to achieve our plans, we need about Ksh35 billion. In this year’s national budget, we were given Ksh12.7 billion. That is enough to run our affairs, but again, we need to look for more funds to achieve our dreams,” said Ms Sakwa.

Speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary committee members, chairperson Ali Wario endorsed the suggestion, saying the subsidised transport plan labeled Okoa Abiria programme, which was rolled out in March 2018, is not viable with the current market price.

“The amount of money they (NYS) charge is too little. That is not what the market currently charges. The normal rates today are between Ksh50 to Ksh100. When you charge Ksh20 while your competitors are charging Ksh100, then the chances of you making profits are extremely slim,” said Mr Wario.

The Nairobi city NYS buses ply Kibra, Githurai, Mwiki, Mukuru kwa Njenga, Dandora, Kariobangi and Kawangware routes.