The launch of Isuzu’s New Bus Model has hit a major setback after the Nairobi County Government barred the new buses from starting operations over design concerns.
The County Transport executive Mohamed Dagane yesterday said that the buses did not meet the specifications set out by the Ministry of Transport and the Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority.
“We will not allow them on our roads because if we do, then other people will come with their own buses as long as they are high capacity,” said Dagane.
According to the regulations, the buses are supposed to have flat floors without stairs on the doors and the aisle should be wider to allow two or three people to pass at ago.
“There was also specific size of the door and the number of doors that such buses should have because when we talk of BRT, we are taking about the capacity, efficiency and time,” he said.
Already a lane has been dedicated for the buses on Thika Superhighway awaiting arrival of 100 high capacity buses that the government is planning to import.
“We have to be careful with what we allow on our roads because we might end up in the same trouble like the one we are in,” Dagane told a local daily.
One of the key objectives of the new models is to provide a safe and reliable mode of transport to Kenyan citizens. The 100 pax bus has 47 seats and 53 handles for standing passengers.
Isuzu also intends to help improve productivity through the elimination of lost time in traffic jam. Traffic Jam has been a pain in the neck for majority of Kenyans who rely on public transport to get to work. Isuzu believes that its new bus model will help curb the traffic jam menace.
The 3 prototype buses which carry between 60-100 passengers at a go have adequate seating space, and wide access doors to allow for ease of entry and exit of the buses.