Transport Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has ordered the suspension of the Modern Coast Express licence, grounding the bus company’s fleet during the peak travel season.
Mr Murkomen further directed that the firm refunds passengers’ tickets that were booked in advance.
This follows a fatal crash at River Masosa in Kisii County on Wednesday involving one of Modern Coast buses heading to Homa Bay from Mombasa, which left one person dead and scores injured.
“Following the 28th December accident, I have directed NTSA to suspend all operations of the Modern Coast bus company with immediate effect, as investigations into the accident continue,” said the Cabinet Secretary on Friday.
Thousands of passengers will likely be stranded as other buses and trains are fully booked.
The suspension comes barely four months after the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) halted the company’s operations for three months in July, after one of its 31 buses was involved in a fatal accident that left 36 people dead at Nithi Bridge in Tharaka Nithi County.
On Thursday, the bus company hit the headlines yet again after one of its buses was involved in a head-on collision in Uganda that claimed the lives of six people.
According to witnesses in Uganda, the driver of a Rwandan-registered Volcano bus changed lanes and crashed into the Modern Coast Oxygen bus.
At least 43 people have died in accidents involving the company’s fleet in just five months.
The Transport and Interior ministries on December 20 outlined road safety measures to motorists and public service vehicle owners, among them observing the speed limit and ensuring vehicles are well-serviced to reduce road carnage during and after the festive season.
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