Kenyans who use public transport methods are expected to smile if the new bill is passed.
This is after Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa submitted a bill to parliament giving powers to Transport Cabinet Secretary to set public fares.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to introduce a new section that provides for the development of policy guidelines to regulate the fares payable by passengers in the public service.
“The NTSA Acts is amended by inserting the following new subsections where the Cabinet Secretary may in consultation with the authority make regulations prescribing the maximum and minimum fares payable by passengers in the public service vehicle within the country,” the Bill reads in part.
Currently, public transport operators have been setting their own transport fares, something that has been prompting passengers to dig deeper into their pockets.
However, the Jubilee MP says the proposed amendment to the law seeks to protect passengers from rogue operators who have continued to bear the brunt of increased fares.
“The new section will ensure that the relevant stakeholders are involved in the process of developing such policy guidelines to ensure that there are maximum fares payable by passengers in the public vehicle from one point to another to avoid being subjected to abuse,” Barasa said.
The Bill which has already gone through publication scrutiny is set for public participation before it is subjected to public participation.
While the Bill seeks to protect passengers, there are murmurs from the Matatu operators who claim the new changes might be oppressing to them.
