As the Easter festivities and the 2023 World Rally Championships commence Kenyans.co.ke analyzed major transport sectors and identified notable trends from Kenyan's travel plans.
One of the trends that were identified was that the Standard Gauge Railway(SGR) was fully booked for most of the easter festivities.
For example, all trains from Nairobi to Mombasa for Friday, March 29, at 3 pm and 10 pm, have been fully booked for both first-class and economy compartments.
Likewise, the Nairobi-Mombasa SGR train scheduled for Saturday, March 30, at 3 pm, has reached full capacity, with available slots remaining only for the 10 pm departure.
"Train seats are fully booked for Nairobi Terminus to Mombasa Terminus on 03/30/2024. Please search for another date," Kenya Railways advised on the booking platform.
On the other hand, it was also examined that Kenyans using the SGR would begin making their return trips on Sunday with slightly over 50 seats left for the Mombasa-Nairobi train at 3 pm.
Currently, Kenyans pay Ksh4,500 for first-class tickets and Ksh1,500 for the economy seats.
Buses
On the other hand, most of the bus bookings have been made to Mombasa and routes leading to Western Kenya.
Similar to SGR, major buses travelling to Busia, Mumias and Kisumu have been sold out for Good Friday with fares ranging from Ksh1,600 to Ksh1,800.
However, some spaces have been reported for Saturday, March 30.
On the other hand, more spaces have been witnessed for buses headed to Mombasa. This can be attributed to the spike in the use of the SGR given the difference in prices.
While SGR charges Ksh1,500 for the economy seats, the regular buses charge Ksh2,000 for the route.
Airlines
A search conducted on various online booking sites for several airlines unveiled that the majority of flights to Kisumu and Mombasa for Friday were fully booked.
Kenyans were observed to be spending upwards of Ksh10,000 for a one-way ticket to either of these destinations.
The WRC Factor
Activities along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway are expected to increase starting Friday and Kenyans head to Naivasha to spectate at the Naivasha Safari Rally.
Already, vehicles heading to Naivasha were diverted at the Mai Mahiou point to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
"Motorists heading to Nyanza and Western are advised to use the Narok route after Mai Mahiu. Motorists headed to Nakuru from Central are advised to divert at Thika and proceed to the Safaricom Foundation route," National Traffic Commander Mary Omari announced on March 31.
Most of the rally events in Naivasha will start from Saturday, March 30 to Sunday, March 31.
