Charges Nairobi Matatus Will Pay to Use New NMS Terminals

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Matatus at traffic snarl-up along Waiyaki Way in Nairobi
Kenyans.co.ke

Motorists and boda boda operators will now have to pay service fees to access the newly built bus stations in Nairobi.

According to the proposed amendments, Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) will have to pay fees ranging from Ksh50 up to Ksh200 to access the four built terminals.

The new charges were revealed by Nairobi County Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee chairperson Robert Mbatia during the tabling of the amended Nairobi City County Finance Bill, 2021 on Tuesday, February 15.

Green Park Terminus at the Old Railways Club in Nairobi
Green Park Terminus at the Old Railways Club in Nairobi
File

The levies will see matatus carrying up to 13 passengers pay Ksh50 per entry, 42-seaters would be expected to pay Ksh100 while 43 seaters and above, Ksh200 and above.

Taxis would be charged Ksh50 per entry and Ksh20 for boda boda operators. The charges will be strictly per entry.

The four newly constructed stations include Desai, Fig Tree, Park Road, and Green Park Terminal. The charges will also apply to other stations under construction outside the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD).

Other terminals identified by NMS in City Hall's decongestion plan include Muthurwa-Ladhies, Globe Roundabout, and the one between Bunyala and Workshop Road.

The termini will serve vehicles plying different routes across the entire city and its environs.

In the proposed amendment, city legislators have also factored in matatu operators who use the terminals seasonally. In the new proposal, they will be required to pay Ksh500 per month for 13 seaters, Ksh2,800 for every six months and Ksh5000 annually.

“Further, the amendments will see the introduction of seasonal tickets (stickers) for PSVs which do not terminate within Nairobi City Centre or in the new PSV terminals. 

The 13-seater public service vehicles operating within the estates shall pay Ksh500 per month as seasonal parking tickets while taxis on online applications shall be required to remit to the county Ksh1,000 monthly," Mbatia stated. 

In this new scheme, matatus will receive stickers to differentiate them from those that use the stations regularly. 42 seaters would be required to pay Ksh800 per month, Ksh4,000 for half a year and Ksh7,500 annually.

NMs argued that this move will ease congestion in the city and also restore sanity in the matatu sector. It also seeks to streamline public service sector in the country's capital city.

Personal cars on the other hand will continue paying Ksh200 daily as parking fees within the Nairobi CBD. This fee will also apply to other zones such as Westlands, Ngara, Highridge, Kilimani, Gigiri, Yaya Center among other areas.

"In this regard, it shall cost no more than Ksh4,000 to acquire a monthly seasonal parking ticket for a private saloon car, down from the proposed Ksh7,000, while daily parking fee within the CBD shall be Ksh200 and Ksh100 in all other business zones. 

"The committee has proposed that the maximum fee chargeable for towing be Ksh1,000 thereby reducing the hue and cry which has been associated with the exorbitant towing charges imposed by the county," he stated. 

Green Park Terminus at the Old Railways Club in Nairobi
Green Park Terminus at the Old Railways Club in Nairobi
File