The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has suspended the licenses of Bungoma Line Safari Ltd and Smart Highways Sacco Ltd, the companies behind the long-distance shuttles with the same name.
In a statement on Saturday, March29, the authority indicated that the saccos failed to comply with the necessary regulations including speed violations.
Further, NTSA directed the companies to present their vehicles for compliance inspection to establish their roadworthiness and to confirm the functionality of their installed speed limiters.
“The Authority notifies the public that it has suspended the Operator Licenses for Bungoma Line Safari Ltd and Smart Highways Sacco Ltd.
“The suspensions were necessitated by the saccos failure to comply with provisions of Section 5 of the NTSA (Operation of PSV) Regulations, 2014 and analysis of speed data violations that were compiled through the NTSA Intelligent Road Safety Management System. (IRSMS),” the statement read in part.
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Additional Conditions Set by NTSA for the Saccos
At the same time, the authority indicated that Bungoma Line Safari ought to present 162 vehicles for the compliance inspection while Smart Highways Sacco ought to present 29 vehicles.
On the other hand, Bungoma Line Safari was directed to present 162 vehicles for compliance checks by the speed limiter vendor, while Smart Highways Sacco was instructed to present 27 vehicles.
For both saccos, all their drivers from both saccos were required to undergo road safety sensitization.
Also, 14 drivers from Bungoma Line Safari and two drivers from Smart Highways Sacco were to be retested.
“The National Police Service (NPS) has been advised to impound vehicles operating contrary to the suspension,” added NTSA.
Also Read: NTSA Lists Four Conditions for School Buses Ahead of April Holiday
National Crackdown on Vehicles
The move came following a crackdown by NTSA on traffic rules violators including pedestrians and motorists.
According to the authority, the move ensured road safety especially after an alarm was raised by Kenyans concerning the rising cases of accidents across the county.
On March 26 and 27, the authority arrested pedestrians who failed to cross the road at the designated crossing points, including footbridges and walkways, in order to ensure their safety.
“In light of recent incidents and to prevent further accidents, it is imperative that pedestrians utilize designated crossing points. We are committed to enforcing traffic laws to protect the lives of all road users, including pedestrians,” the authority indicated in a statement.
Additionally, on March 29, the authority issued directives on conditions that has to be met by drivers ahead of the April holidays.
