Easy Coach has increased fares and is now charging Ksh 1,700 for a ticket from Nairobi to Kitale, up from Ksh 1,450. Fare from Nairobi to Kisumu has risen from Ksh 1,800 to Ksh 2,000.
The company has blamed the increased fares on the back of the rising cost of fuel, affecting new minimum wages and taxes charged by counties.
For a long time, Easy Coach has kept its fare from Nairobi to Kitale at Ksh 1,450 during all the major seasons, including Christmas, when demand for upcountry travel is at its highest.
Azym Dossa, the company’s managing director, claimed that the cost of conducting business has dramatically increased, forcing the company to modify its fares on several routes across the nation.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel at Switch TV
“We have had to adjust our fares because of high operation cost that has been occasioned by a number of factors including fuel prices and the minimum wage requirement,” said Mr Dossa.
The bus company is now being forced to pay Ksh 3,000 per bus per year when their buses cross to a different county.
“We pay less when we cross to a new county and there are so many counties that we pass through before we get to our final destination. We want these taxes to be synchronised,” he said.
The rise in fare prices comes at a time when many people are travelling back upcountry to spend time with their loved ones for the December holidays.
Also read:Woe to Mt.Kenya region amid 30% upsurge in bus fare
