A spot check by the Business Daily showed that Guardian Bus Service from Nairobi plying Busia, Kisumu, Siaya, Kakamega and Mumias routes from Nairobi are booked up to December 25.
Modern Coast on routes such as Mombasa, Kilifi and Malindi from December 16 to December 25 have a few seats left.
Airlines have also increased fares from Nairobi to Mombasa ahead of Christmas on early bookings.
Buses heading to various upcountry from Nairobi are fully booked ahead of Christmas as city residents prepare to travel to their rural homes to celebrate with their loved ones.
A spot check by the Business Daily showed that Guardian Bus Service from Nairobi plying Busia, Kisumu, Siaya, Kakamega and Mumias routes from Nairobi are booked up to December 25 as well as Ena Coach to Busia, Siaya and Bondo.
Modern Coast on routes such as Mombasa, Kilifi and Malindi from December 16 to December 25 have a few seats left.
Full booking of buses is set to boost local carriers such as Jambojet, Renegade Air and Safarilink whose load factor is expected to go high in December compared to last year.
Airlines have also increased fares from Nairobi to Mombasa ahead of Christmas on early bookings. The ticket prices are expected to rise further in the coming days.
Flights to Mombasa from Nairobi are almost fully booked with the cost of remaining seats rising to Sh17,000, from an average of Sh7,200 in November.
A passenger travelling to Mombasa today will pay Sh12,000 for a one-way air ticket for the 6.35am flight on Jambojet
“We have seen a surge in booking in nearly all our routes to the extent we want to add more buses to cater for the increased demand,” Easy Coach managing director Azym Dossa told the Business Daily yesterday.
Guardian is charging Sh1,200 to ferry passengers to Busia, Kisumu, Kakamega and Mumias from Nairobi down from Sh1,650 before the lifting of restriction in movement in and outside the counties in July.
Ena Coach charges a flat fare of Sh1,200 to Kisii, Kisumu, Homa Bay and Rongo from Nairobi, up from Sh1,000 early this year.
President Uhuru Kenyatta in July lifted restrictions on movement into and out of the Nairobi Metropolitan, Mombasa and Mandera counties — paving the way for a conditional resumption of public service vehicle operations, which had been halted since March to contain the spread of Covid-19.
As part of conditions set for resumption of public transport in and out of the three counties, PSVs operators were compelled to operate under strict health directives, including leaving some seats empty.
The Transport Ministry, for instance, demands that a 14-seater PSV carry only 10 passengers, a 33-seater 18 passengers and a 51-seater 30 passengers. This includes the drivers and the crew.
PSV operators are also required to obtain special permits to enter Nairobi, Mombasa and Mandera, which have been marked as Covid-19 hotspots.
The easing of movement restrictions is set to offer relief to inter-county traders who had been dealt a blow given the economic dominance of Nairobi and Mombasa.
Nairobi accounts for 21.7 percent of the country’s output, and influences economic activities in the neighbouring counties of Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado and even beyond.
