Counties

Nairobi Green Park matatu stage set to open next week

green park

Green Park Nairobi terminus, Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Nairobi’s Green Park Bus Terminus will start operating by next Tuesday, Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has announced.

The opening of the terminus will be done in phases starting with all Public Service Vehicle (PSVs) plying Ngong and Argwings Kodhek Roads starting May 24.

Three days later, matatus plying the Lang'ata Road route will move to the terminal.

“NMS wishes to inform Public Service Vehicle (PSVs) operators and the general public that the Green Park Bus Terminal will commence operations starting next week May 24, 2022, in phases,” said a statement from NMS.

The NMS had said in March that it planned to relocate all matatus from the city centre from this month, starting with those designated to move to the Green Park terminus.

The Sh250 million terminus, located at the former Lunar Park, is able to accommodate between 300 and 350 vehicles at any one time, processing about 1,000 PSVs per hour and up to 20,000 per day.

In March, NMS announced that only three matatus per Sacco will be allowed to access the terminal at any given time.

Further, touting is not allowed at the terminus, matatus to take only 20 minutes within the stage and all staff (drivers, conductor, and route marshals) will have badges with names, photos, uniforms, sacco or company name. Also, every route will only have two staff members to assist in operations at the terminus.

Matatus are also barred from picking or dropping passengers at non-designated places, including the entire stretch of the exit road.

Once fully operational, the bus terminal is set to serve as pick-up and drop-off points for matatus from Ngong, Karen, Rongai, Kikuyu, Dagoretti, Kawangware, Kibra, Highrise, Ngumo, Langata, Nairobi West, Makadara, Kaberia, Satellite and Kiserian.

This means all matatus currently based at Railways bus terminus, Hakati, Tom Mboya Street and Moi Avenue lane from Agro House to Development House plying the routes above will move to the Green Park.

The terminus is one of the seven termini that are being constructed by NMS as part of the Nairobi Integrated Urban Development Master Plan (NIUPLAN) that seeks to ensure a reliable and efficient public transport system.

Others are situated at Fig Tree, Muthurwa, Desai and Park Road, Landhies, Globe Roundabout, and one at the junction of Bunyala and Workshop Road.

Already, three test runs had been conducted at Green Park with the first test run leading to improvement of exit points and the second one on pickup points as well as exit points, and the last on the terminal’s operations.

[email protected]