The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) on Tuesday threatened to revoke licenses for various matatus in the country.
In a notice, the Authority explained that they had received numerous complaints from members of the public that some operators increase transportation costs.
They further explained that the practice was against a section of the National Transport and Safety Authority act.
“Our attention has been drawn to complaints by members of the public regarding exploitation through arbitrary increase of fare by PSV operators.
“We, therefore, reiterate that an operator risks revocation of their road service license should the authority receive a report of such an incidence,” read the notice.
The authority hence urged the public to continue reporting the cases to aid in the nabbing of the errant matatus and their operators.
They further advised that the public could lodge complaints through the authority’s official app available on mobile.
Transport Ministry Cabinet Secretary James Macharia had, in early November, warned the operators of repercussions if they hiked fares during a matatu strike at the time.
The matatus had been taken off the road following the re-introduction of Michuki rules.
The Authority had also mandated all drivers and conductors of Public Service Vehicles to undergo mandatory first aid traning since they were usually the first ones to get to accident scenes.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, NTSA warned that it will revoke licenses of any public service vehicle (PSV) operator found to be exploiting passengers by charging more than the usual amount.
“Our attention has been drawn to complaints by members of the public regarding exploitation through arbitrary increase of fair by PSV operators… We therefore reiterate that an operator risks revocation of their road license should the Authority receive a report of such an incidence,” said NTSA.
Passengers have been urged to report incidents of increase of fare to the transport authority.
Section 30(3)(a) NTSA Act states that the fares imposed for the carrying of passengers should be reasonable and ensure fair competition within the transport industry.