Despite an earlier notice, Nairobi citizens were caught unaware on Tuesday morning as Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) conducted a test run on the nearly complete Green Park Terminal at the Nairobi’s Railway Club. – By Sharon Maina.
The test run at the commuter terminus was to be for three hours whereby all PSVs that normally operated from Nairobi Railway Station stage passengers were only allowed to drop passengers between 6:00am and 9:00am but were not allowed to pick passengers.
The purpose of the three-hour test run was to see how things will work at the Green Park terminal as its commissioning draws near.
There was so much confusion and anger in the midst of people since there were no connecting buses to the cbd.
The passengers had to walk from the terminus to their various destinations, with a traffic snarl-up stretching from Haile Selassie roundabout to Community area or use a bodaboda.
The boda boda drivers took advantage of this situation since they were on demand and therefore hiked the transport charges.
NMS Transport Director Engineer Michael Ochieng, while addressing the media during the test run, said people will get used to the change and that distance commuter’s walk has not changed much.
“There will be an interface session where the park will be operating temporarily before the closure of the other one. The test run started today and it will continue into the better part of the week and into next week before transitioning into full operation,” said the Engineer.
“We are looking to check the safety features even for the disabled and the physically challenged and others who may not be able to make it to town. We have also organised with the Kenya Railways that will provide commuter buses to town,” he added.
This situation triggered many since most of them were not prepared despite the heads up that the NMS had given the public. Others took it positively as they saw it being a solution to decongest the cbd.
