NTSA names public transporters tampering with speed governors

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has named public service vehicle operator 2NK at the top of a list of long distance matatus that tamper with speed limiting gadgets.

The firm has accumulated a total of 702 speeding violations in just one week, the NTSA data shows.

Narok Line and Neno Sacco were the second and third highest speed violators respectively according to data recorded by companies that manage tracking systems for long distance public service vehicles (PSVs).

“What we will be doing is to call the saccos very soon, the management to explain their position because we will not wait until there is an accident for us to ban a sacco,” said the NTSA chairman Lee Kinyanjui said.

Mr Kinyanjui said NTSA will be compiling speed data from the tracking companies for all long distance public service operators.

The data will enable the NTSA to classify the saccos into the worst offenders, medium level offenders and those that are compliant with the speed limits.

Suspension

“If we found a way of labelling some of these transport saccos and companies- and with good reason- then citizens will also be encouraged to use the more safer ones and the ones that have a good track record,” Mr Kinyanjui added.

The 2NK Sacco which was formed in Nyeri 15 years ago offers daily trips to between Nairobi and other major towns among them Nyeri, Karatina, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nanyuki and Thika.

Mr Kinyanjui said that once NTSA starts using the data fully, the top violating saccos will be given a warning and continued breaches will result in a suspension.

READ: NTSA targets commercial vehicles to cut accidents

“We shall give them capacity training, we shall also give them a warning letter and if found to be violating (more) we shall kick them out of the road until such a time when they put measures that give us confidence that they can be on the roads while keeping it safe,” Mr Kinyanjui said.

The use of data from tracking companies to nail speed violators is expected to be extended to cover trucks and heavy commercial vehicles.

Public service vehicles have a set maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour on the highways but some have been seen to drive above this.

Speeding has been termed as one of the biggest contributors to a high fatality rate whenever a PSV is involved in an accident.

The government has since 2014 clamped down on speeding PSVs including the requirement that each should be fitted with a speed governor.