NTSA Directs Matatus Operators to Install Smart Speed Governors

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has devised a new plan to monitor public transport vehicles in real time.

In the new regulations, matatu operators will be required to upgrade their current speed governors to a new model that will be able to transmit data to NTSA servers in real time.

The new rule was communicated through a joint briefing by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and NTSA seen by Kenyans.co.ke.

Implementation of the revised speed device standard KS 2295:2018 will take effect from December 1, 2018.

Motor vehicle owners will be expected to upgrade their speed governors to the current standard on or before March 1, 2019.

“With these new standards, it will be very easy to tell if a speed limiter has been tampered with. We know that some drivers have put switches on theirs, turn them off when they want to speed and only turn them on when they see police,” stated NTSA Director General Francis Meja.

He added that the devices will be linked to the drivers’ licenses, and if a driver is found to have interfered with a device, his license will be withdrawn.

This will also limit the number of people who can drive the vehicles. Drivers are notorious for leaving the vehicle to inexperienced trainees.

All suppliers of speed governors will also be required to start complying with the new regulations.

Since the crackdown on matatus began on November, 22,000 people who had previously been operating without licenses have since applied and been supplied with the documents.