Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has now moved to end the confusion by establishing new operating rules for boda boda riders within the Central Business District (CBD).
According to the guidelines, runners will be required to run designated fixed routes. Just like Public Service Vehicles (PSVs), boda boda riders will be restricted from carrying passengers on random routes in the city.
NMS Roads, Transport and Public Works Engineer Michael Ochieng, stated that the routes will be determined in collaboration with the City Inspectorate and the operators.
They will be asked to register with approved Saccos to be able to allocate routes according to the new rules.
Boda Boda operators wait for customers at one stage.
Capital Group
The first Sacco, Eminent Boda Transcoop, has already been launched, allowing members to register.
They will have allocated parking spaces in the newly built Greenpark terminal. At the moment, boda boda operators have different parking spaces within the city, which NMS does not have legally allocated.
Brokers will also need to have physical offices with Saccos to ensure members comply with established guidelines.
In addition to the new rules, NMS revealed that they are working with operators to provide last-mile transport to Kenyans accessing the CBD after disembarking from the Greenpark terminal.
This new memorandum will also enable NMS to implement the Matatu CBD ban, which has proven to be a headache for the Mohamed Badi administration.
“After signing the memorandum, I urge you to follow it so that we can all operate in an orderly manner,” Ochieng urged the operators.
Before the new rules were introduced, boda boda operators were completely banned from the CBD. Violators of the bylaws were punished with fines and, in some cases, municipal officers confiscated motorcycles.
Meanwhile, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i instructed all operators to register with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
The new licenses for boda boda operators have been linked to the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for effective service delivery .
“The license already has the details of the pilot, but right now under NTSA, the new smart license has a lot of information, unlike the old one and it’s also digital. All this is just to make it easier to track people.
“The smart license will have the name of the SACCO from where the motorist operates. In order for you to get the licenses, you must be registered with a SACCO and the SACCO will be registered with the association so that it becomes a digital information . Once you get the information, go to NTSA to get the license,” the authority explained.
A police officer tries to arrest a bodaboda rider in a past operation.
Kenyans.co.ke