The newly launched SGR train. [Photo/ groupkenya.com]
Some owners and managers of bus companies operating between Mombasa and Nairobi have faulted government’s decision to peg the SGR travel fare at Sh700 for passengers travelling between the two cities without consulting them.
President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the Sh327 billion project on Wednesday and announced passenger train travelers will pay Sh700 for the train’s economy class- a move that elicited a mix of reactions from some transport sector players.
The Kenya Railways had initially pegged the travel cost at Sh900 for economy class and Sh3,000 for first class with business class charges set to be announced later.
Buses plying the Nairobi-Mombasa route charge between Sh900 and Sh2,200 one way.
Bus companies have now said the government should have consulted them before arriving at the Sh700 SGR fare, a move that could push them out of business.
Mombasa Raha and Buscar director Abubakar Said said they were caught unawares when the president announced the low SGR fares between Nairobi and Mombasa.
“The president should have considered us because we have invested heavily in the transport sector. It will really affect us. We will definitely run out of business. The president’s price is very cheap,” he said as quoted by Business Daily.
They also said the project was rushed without improving the road network connecting the SGR station in Miritini and Mombasa Central Business District.
There are over five high profile bus companies plying the Nairobi-Mombasa route. Some of them include Buscar, Tahmeed, Coast Bus, Mombasa Raha and Grand Bus.
Uhuru said besides cutting travel costs and time between Mombasa and Nairobi, the SGR project will also reduce the cost of transporting cargo from the port city by 50 percent to Sh50,000 from the current Sh100,000 charged by long distance truck companies.