The launch of the much awaited Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system is slowly taking shape.
On Sunday, September 27, a photo of one of the buses expected to ply the roads in the new transport system was shared online.
The huge bus was painted in Kenya Railways brand colours, and labelled Nairobi Commuter Rail-BRT.
The commuter rail and the BRT project will be connected to improve efficiency and reduce congestion on the roads.
The buses which already have a dedicated lane on the Thika Superhighway are expected to carry up to 100 passengers. However, the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to have an effect on the capacity.
The BRT lane will be spread to other major roads such as the Outering Road, and is expected to cost Ksh6 billion.
Although some of the buses are refurbished, the new ones will be provided by Isuzu Kenya which pegged the cost of acquiring one at Ksh10 million.
Nairobi Metropolitan Area Director General Mohammed Badi told MPs that the buses would also be used to ferry passengers from various designated railway and matatu termini once the PSVs are banned from the CBD in November.
“Kenya Railways is working with Safaricom to have a connectivity with the soon to be launched Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, where one pays for one ticket and they can seamlessly use it on the train, and still connect with the BRT to their final destination and vice versa,” Ministry of Transport Director of Administration Mabeya Mogaka explained at the time stated during a past interview.
“We want a situation where people coming from the Central Kenya region can park their vehicles at the Ruiru station and board a train, people from Mombasa and Eastern region like Machakos can park at Athi River and come into town by train,” he added.
The process to deconjest the city will be a true test for the NMS DG since all other efforts to keep matatus out of the CBD have failed.
Many times commuters are left stranded having to trek for long distances to access the CBD after alighting at the terminis outside the city.
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