Residents of Nakuru town now want the government to force public transport vehicle operators to reduce fares whenever fuel prices are reduced by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Speaking to our reporter in Nakuru town on Friday, the residents said that the government needs to ensure that fares in the public transport sector are reduced anytime fuel prices go down, so as to cushion and bring the impact of reduced fuel prices to the common man.
They said that whenever fuel prices go up, the fares are quickly raised and the same should apply whenever the fuel prices reduce.
Esther Njeri, a Nakuru resident said that the ministry of transport should take the role of setting fares in the public transport sector to end the exploitation being witnessed in the sector.
“The fares have remained the same despite fuel prices having been reduced and we wonder what the government is doing to protect the common man because we are not feeling the effect of fuel price reduction,” said Njeri.
“They need to force public transport operators to lower fares every time they reduce fuel prices,” she added.
However, on his part, Timothy Mwangi, who is a matatu driver said that they cannot reduce fares on the basis of fuel price reduction because prices of motor vehicle spare parts have not been reduced.
“Fares in the transport sector are determined by a lot of factors not only fuel prices. As long as the prices of spare parts remain high the fares will also remain high,” said Mwangi.
On Wednesday, the Energy Regulatory Commission announced a reduction in fuel pump prices countrywide, but the reduction seems not to have any ripple effect the common Kenyan.