Fares rise as Kenyans travel for the holidays

Public service vehicle (PSV) operators have raised fares to various upcountry destinations by up to Sh500 as thousands begin trooping to their rural homes for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

A spot check by the Nation yesterday December 21 revealed heightened round-the-clock activity at various PSV termini in Nairobi, a sharp contrast from a few months ago when operators were hard-hit by restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Bus firms have increased fares in nearly all the routes, including Kisumu, Kakamega, Mombasa, Siaya, Bungoma and Busia to cash in on the festive season travels.

“The number of passengers traveling upcountry at the moment has slightly gone up. We have slightly adjusted our fares to take care of operational expenses,” an attendant at Climax Coaches told the Nation.

With the price increase, the firm is now charging Sh2,200 to ferry passengers to Busia, Kisumu and Bondo from Nairobi, up from Sh1, 800 in November.

NyaUgenya Bus Service is charging passengers Sh2,000 to Busia and Bondo, up from the Sh1,500 it was charging last month.

Guardian Bus Service, whose fleet of vehicles is fully booked up to December 25, is charging Sh1,200 to ferry passengers to Busia, Kisumu, Kakamega, and Mumias, down from Sh1, 650 before the lifting of movement restrictions in July.

Ena Coach is also fully booked until December 25. It is charging a flat fare of Sh1,200 to Kisii, Kisumu, Homa Bay, and Rongo, up from Sh1,000 early this year.

Airlines offering domestic flights, such as Kenya Airways, Jambojet and Safarilink are also expected to be busy.

The airlines have also increased fares from Nairobi to Mombasa, Kisumu and other local destinations.

Flights to Mombasa from Nairobi are almost fully booked with the cost of remaining seats being as high as Sh17,000 one-way.

A passenger traveling to Mombasa from Nairobi on December 24 will pay about Sh15,000 for a Jambojet ticket.

Safarilink is currently charging about Sh13,500 from Nairobi to Kisumu for a ticket on December 24, up from about Sh6, 800 one month ago.

“Demand for air travel has gone up and this is what is pushing the prices up. We are fully booked in the coastal routes from December 20 to December 25,” Safarilink CEO Alex Avedi told the Nation yesterday.

The standard gauge railway (SGR) passenger service from Nairobi to Mombasa is fully booked on most days day between December 20 and 24.

Fares for economy class tickets are Sh1,000 with first-class tickets going for Sh3, 000. The prices have remained unchanged.

Children below three years don’t pay fare on the train while those from 3-11 years pay half the price paid by adult passengers for the economy and first-class tickets.

The Kenya Railways Corporation yesterday added a train from Nairobi to Kisumu on increased demand.

New train service

The new train service had its first trip to the lakeside city of Kisumu on December 17 after 15 years.

Another train has been scheduled to operate on December 24 and December 31 from Nairobi to Kisumu.

Commuters travelling from Nairobi to Kisumu pay Sh600 in the economy class coaches and Sh2, 000 on first class for the 12-hour journey.

Those travelling from Nairobi to Nakuru are paying Sh300 for the train service, while the dominant Molo Line PSV service charges Sh400.

Travel from Kisumu to Nairobi started on December 19, and Kenya Railways is planning to have the train operate on December 25.

The old line from Naivasha to Malaba has been operational but is in a bad condition, limiting train speeds.

The track from Nakuru, which goes through Njoro, Londiani, Kisumu and terminates at Butere, has not been in use.

Works on the Malaba track are ongoing in the race to link the old railway track to SGR.

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