Just as industries go back to the drawing board on how to stay profiting during COVID-19, The matatu industry has seen major redesign to comply with social distancing guidelines – By Gerald Gekara.
Images doing rounds on social media indicate that seat fabricators and vehicle body designers have decided to scrap out sections of their buses, inorder to comply with ministry guidelines.
Thomas Ouko, a metal fabricator who has a ‘seat design’ garage at Nairobi’s busy Ngara business complex, said the number of orders made for the newly designed seats have tripled.
However, he says the orders have since depleted his profits, forcing him to adjust his prices.
“So far, I have a backlog of about 20 matatus to fit these new seats, but the financial implication is not doing us any good.” he said.
The new directive that required Matatus to leave atleast one seat empty inorder to maintain social distance, leading to a reduced capacity.
“Inorder to not let the seats go to waste, we have decided to sell some of the seats and leave an empty space, until this virus gives us further direction” said one John Kamau, a matatu owner.
However, the seat removal has had an impact on matatu fares. A spot check by Uzalendo News reveal that bus fares have risen to compensate the lost seats.
Other matatus have been reported to carry the regulated capacity, only to fill up soon after the buses pass key police check points.
So far Kenya has recorded 23, 202 cases of the Coronavirus, with 388 fatalities reported.
