Electric BRT Buses to Arrive in Nairobi in December, Gov’t Says

The government says that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system will be operational in Nairobi by the end of the year.

Nairobi Metropolitan Transport Authority (NaMATA) director-general Francis Gitau said at least 60 high-capacity electric buses are expected to arrive in the country in December. He indicated that the BRT buses will be shipped in by private sector players.

“It will be an open process, we will have investor conferences to have people express interest in terms of the scope we will be specifying,” said Gitau.

Last week, Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Charles Hinga said electric buses are a cheaper alternative and would reduce the country’s carbon footprint. He pointed out that the installation of a BRT corridor along the Thika Superhighway is almost complete.

“We are making good progress. The fabrication of stations is ongoing, and park and ride facilities, bus depots, a command center are all under construction,” said Hinga.

“The stations have taken care of everyone. There is a ramp to get to the top of the footbridge and a special lift to take wheelchairs down or up the station. In other words, there is universal access,” he added.

The BRT stations on Thika Road will be located at Garden City, Safari Park, Roysambu, Clayworks, Kahawa Barracks, and Kenyatta University. Motorists who wish to use the BRT buses will park their cars at the Park and Ride facilities near Kasarani stadium.

The second phase of the project will be along Mombasa Road and will be completed before the end of the year.

Unlike the previous plan where the BRT lane was separated by a red line along the innermost lane of the highway, the government decided to put a permanent separation to allow faster movement of the BRT buses.

“Everywhere we’re going to do BRT is going to be demarcated…and the demarcation must be innovative because there could be emergencies so we’re breaking the demarcations at 50-meter intervals,” said Gitau.

The BRT system is part of the government’s plan to reduce traffic congestion within the city.