The new PSV stages in Nairobi CBD decongestion plan

The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) on Friday announced the new termini that will be used when the ban on matatus from the central business district takes effect at the end of the year.

In a statement, NMS Director-General Mohammed Badi said the new operations will restore order in the city.

NMS has been working with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to decongest the CBD by building several bus stations on the outskirts.

Maj-Gen Badi said the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) already acquired the land for the project so the NMS is now working with the authority to set up the bus stops.

He said the agency had targeted the land where Neno Evangelism Centre sits but a court ruling forced it to look at another location.

The routes

PSVs plying Ngong and Lang’ata roads (Kawangware, Kikuyu, Kibera, Lang'ata, Rongai, Kiserian) will terminate at Green Park, popularly known as Railways Club, whose termini is almost complete.

The Fig Tree terminus at Ngara will serve matatus from Waiyaki Way, Uhuru Highway, Kipande and Limuru roads.

PSVs from Mombasa Road (South B, South C, Industrial Area, Imara Daima, Athi River, Kitengela, Machakos) will terminate at another new termini at the junction of Bunyala and Workshop Road, which is still under construction.

The Muthurwa terminus is expected to remain as it serves PSVs from Jogoo and Lusaka roads.

Mr Badi said long distance PSVs from Mt Kenya and those from the Thika Superhighway will stop at the new Desai and Park Road termini, where they will also pick and drop passengers.

Mobility corridors

Meanwhile, the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NaMATA) has gazetted 12 mobility corridors, seven of them for core mass rapid transportation linking Limuru, Ngong Town, Kenol, Murang’a, Kiambu, Ruai, JKIA and Konza Technocity.

President Uhuru Kenyatta established NaMATA in February 2017 to cover Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Murang’a counties.

Line 1 is to run from James Gichuru Road/Waiyaki Way to JKIA, a distance of 20kms.

Line 2, which is 31kms long, will run from Lang'ata Road to Ngong Road as well as Juja Road and Komarock Road to Ruiru. It will have major stops at Dandora, Kariobangi and near Gikomba Market.

Line 3 will run from Githurai through Thika Road to Moi Avenue in the CBD and terminate at Kenyatta National Hospital. Line 4 will cover 14km from T-Mall to Jogoo Road while Line 5 will cover Outering Road.

The NMS boss said that upon taking office, the city’s decongestion was one of his top priorities hence the promise to rid it of matatus by the end of the year.

Rail transport

On Tuesday, President Kenyatta launched the Commuter Rail Service, which is expected to eventually link to the Bus Rapid Transport system for efficiency.

A park-and-ride facility will see commuters heading to the city centre board buses for the final parts of their journeys.

Walkways on the busy motorways will guide placement of initial stations for the BRT network.

In July, Stecol Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding to build the long-awaited BRT system, which is expected to support the city’s rickety public commuter services and help ease traffic congestion.

The project will comprise more than 100 buses operating on dedicated lanes on the Thika Superhighway, through the Nairobi city centre to the Kenyatta National Hospital (KHN) area.

The buses will be run by private operators and regulated by NaMATA.

Each bus is expected to have a capacity of about 160 passengers who will use electronic cards for payment at the stations, that will also have Wi-Fi and coffee shops.