Recently, Kenya Mpya buses have continued to hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Their involvement in road accidents especially along Thika Superhighway in the last few months have left many wondering whether the buses are on a mission to maime and kill those that choose to travel by them.
But with all these shortcomings, have you ever wondered why many travellers still opt to travel by the ill-fated buses? Well, the entry of the Kenya Mpya fleet along Thika Road in early 2011 was met with opposition and protests by other matatu industry players who were operating along the route before as the buses started to charge low fares.
Passengers used to pay between Sh100 and Sh150 to travel from Thika to Nairobi or vice versa with fares going upwards during rush-hours. However, the Kenya Mpya buses introduced a never heard fixed tariff of Sh70 along the same route.
Travellers received the good news with excitement and embraced the buses and since then the PSV story along route 237 has never been the same again. Sustained protests by earlier players like the giant Chania Travellers Sacco to force the bus company to review their fares upwards did not seem to work at all.
Finally, they had to give in and drop theirs too. Today, travelling to Nairobi can go to as low as Sh30 especially on weekends. Apart from charging low fares, the buses are usually clean and well maintained which makes them a favourite for many travellers.
Nevertheless, their recent involvement in a series of road accidents hashugely dented their public image with some passengers vowing never to travel by them. The bus company management has also been slow to respond to public outrage and complaints raised against their fleet.