New Rules for Matatus to Take Effect Starting Today

The rules implemented by the National Transport and Safety Authority concerning public service vehicles and ones that are aimed at bringing sanity into the sector will start taking effect today.

The new directive will affect those PSV vehicles with flashing, rumbling as well as honking which have to pull all those down.

Also to be affected are those PSVs with modified horns as well as exhausted pipes that cause noises whenever they move around.

According to the National Transport and Safety Authority, the vehicles that will not adhere to the rules will be grounded.

Those PSV vehicles with excessive vulgar as well as flashy lights have not spared in the new directive and this is going to affect many PSV vehicles within Nairobi.

The NTSA came to these decisions after receiving various complaining on the noise caused by some PSV vehicles as well as the vulgar graffiti on some of them.

In November 2014, President Uhuru Kenyatta gave some matatu owners some sigh of relief when he called for the relaxation of some of the rules that had banned the artwork in PSV vehicles as a way of giving the youth room to utilize their talents.

Even before the directive, some quarters have come out with guns blazing terming the move as an unfair one siting the short period that was given for them to adhere to the directive.

Some matatu operators who were interviewed by Soko Directory raised concerns that the traffic police officers my take the crackdown move to solicit bribes from them.

Almost 90 percent of PSVs in Nairobi are tinted with numerous graffiti as a way of attracting customers in the exaggerated as well as competitive market.

Most of them have also been blamed for playing loud music that has always made their passengers uncomfortable.

Article by Juma Fred.