Operators hike fares as night travel ban bites

By Standard on Saturday team

Kenya: Thousands of travellers are stranded in Mombasa and other coastal towns following the ban on night travel.

The ban has spurred a price rise and compelled travellers to hike lifts in private vehicles or use the train which moves from Mombasa to Nairobi only three times a week. Starting Thursday evening, Rift Valley Railways rolled out several coaches to ferry stranded travellers to Nairobi but these passengers were not spared high fares too.

An official of the company says 456 passengers travelled from Mombasa to Nairobi on Thursday with 122 passengers travelled in seven first class coaches.

There were 200 passengers on third class coaches with each paying Sh680 to Nairobi from Mombasa but the price for second and first class travel was not disclosed.

Ms Rose Mary who spoke to The Saturday Standard as she waited to board the train said rail transport was the only alternative following the ban.

Sh2,000

“I was forced to travel from Malindi Friday so that I can spend the night here in Mombasa so that I can catch the 4.30am bus to Homa Bay, but this hasn’t helped,” said Christopher Omollo, one of the hundreds of passengers who were stranded at Otanga Bus station Friday in Mombasa.

He said that the fare from Malindi to Mombasa has been doubled from the normal Sh350 to Sh700 while that from Mombasa to Homa Bay has also increased from Sh1,200 to Sh2000.

At the same time, passengers traveling from Kitale to Nairobi have to dig deeper their pockets after operators hiked fare. PSV have raised fare from Sh800 to Sh2000.