Modern Coast buses in transit intercepted at Voi and Mariakani, hundreds of passengers stranded

Six Modern Coast buses that were transporting passengers to different destinations, including Nairobi, Kisumu and others parts of rural Kenya from Mombasa, were on Tuesday night intercepted at Mariakani and Voi areas respectively.

The long-distance transport vehicles, that collectively had hundreds of passengers, were seized after the transport and safety regulator, NTSA, said on Tuesday that it had not given the transporter the greenlight to resume operations after their operating license was revoked last Friday over poor road safety record.

Four buses that had reached Voi from Mombasa were ordered to discontinue their journeys, leaving at least 200 passengers stranded. The buses’ drivers were ordered to drive back to their Mombasa station, Voi Traffic Base Commander, Michael Maina, told K24 Digital.

Drivers of two other buses that had reached Mariakani were also instructed to take the tens of passengers back to Mombasa.

Modern Coast offices in the coastal town remained shut on Tuesday evening, even as confusion lingered on travellers’ minds on whether the transporter has been cleared to resume business, or not.

K24 Digital’s attempt to get a comment from Modern Coast Express Ltd.’s management bore no fruit.

On Tuesday morning, Modern Coast claimed that it had been cleared by NTSA to transport passengers after “all their drivers completed a road safety training exercise and 43 of its 74 buses passed inspection tests”.

NTSA would later — in a statement to newsrooms — deny that it had issued Modern Coast with the said-greenlight, leaving passengers, who had hoped to travel in Modern Coast buses, in limbo.