Normal transport services resumed in Bomet town on Tuesday following the disruption of public transport after a boycott called by transport operators in the country over a hike in fuel prices.
Due to the Matatu strike last Monday, private car owners weren’t spared either, with only Government vehicles plying the roads within Bomet, even as transport operators and traders alike spent the day playing childhood games and football at the otherwise busy Bomet Matatu terminus along the Sotik-Nairobi Highway.
Members of the public were forced to walk long distances or cancel their trips, while those on emergency travel had to contend with high charges on motorbike rides or few available vehicles whose owners could bear the risk of reprisal from fellow operators.
A spot check by KNA revealed that travellers who remained stranded all day on Monday found a reprieve towards the evening when some buses and Matatus resumed duty but bus fare remained too high through to Tuesday morning.
Travellers complained that a trip from Kaplong to Bomet town which ordinarily costs sh100 per passenger rose to Sh150 or Sh200 for some public transport vehicles.
Citing losses in their business, the matatu operators pulled their vehicles from the roads throughout the country to protest the rise of petrol and diesel to sh. 214 to 242 respectively, a rise of sh. 76 for diesel, which is mostly used by transport vehicles since January this year.
The operators claimed that their decision to boycott was to compel the government to chip in and cushion them from the rising fuel costs caused by global trends, failure to which they will have to hike transport costs and bus fares in order to break even.
By Erick Ongeri
