This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
As Christmas approaches, bus companies in Kenya have hiked fares by up to 100 percent, leaving many passengers facing higher costs for travel to popular destinations.
According to a spot check by the Business Daily, bus firms such as Easy Coach were fully booked up to December 26, with the recent suspension of Modern Coast buses adding to the woes of passengers.
"The demand for passengers plying various upcountry routes is very high. As you can see, there are a few buses yet we have a good number of passengers. It is the reason why bus companies are raising fares," said an official at Climax Bus Company, who spoke to Business Daily in confidence.
Other operators claimed the increase was meant to cover the cost of returning near-empty vehicles, but the Business Daily witnessed most buses coming back to the city with passengers.
At Eldoret Express, hundreds of passengers thronged their booking offices only to find that the buses were fully occupied. A ticket for passengers heading to Butere, Kakamega, Bungoma, and Kimilili was going for Sh1,600 up from Sh800.
Easy Coach, which plies routes such as Busia, Kisumu, Mumias, Siaya, and Sirare among others, had buses fully booked until December 24. Chief Executive Azym Dossa said the firm, which charges an average fare of Sh800 to Sh1,500, does not plan to raise the fares.
"We are not in the business of robbing Kenyans. We are operating on fixed fare prices, which we do not intend to increase anytime soon," he said.
