Passengers stranded at Machakos bus terminus during the festive season (Photo/kenya-today.com)
Travelers heading to upcountry and back to Nairobi were left stranded as the night travel ban by the National Transport and safety Authority took effect.
On Sunday evening, confusion gripped Machakos country bus as buses to Western Kenya suspended their night bus shift services.
Some companies were forced to refund bus fares to passengers had initially paid for the night bus.
Juma Masinde, a clerk at promised bus company offered passengers to sleep in the busses as they await dawn to travel.
“If the passengers are willing to wait until tomorrow morning, we will allow them to sleep in the bus. The ban has to be complied with,” he said speaking to the nation newspaper.
Business people transporting their wares to western Kenya had a nut to crack following the ban at the terminus.
A trader, Njeri who supplies motorcycle and power saw spare parts to Western Kenya said she was inconvenienced as she was ready to travel overnight.
She said traders usually buy their merchandise during the day and ferry them at night.“We had bought our merchandise and were ready to travel to Kakamega tonight. Waiting until tomorrow will greatly inconvenience us and our customers,” she said.
Noah Ngetich, A Green line bus driver said trucks along the stretch were to be blamed since they were the cause of most accidents.“Why is NTSA punishing everyone? Trucks are to blame for most of the accidents that happen along that stretch,” said Noah Ngetich
NTSA had banned night travel following a grisly accident involving a Nairobi bound bus from Kisumu and a truck that left 36 dead and 18 injured..