Construction of a designated one lane of the proposed Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) on the Thika Superhighway nears completion.
Principal Secretary, State Department for Housing and Urban Development Charles Hinga confirmed the report and said that contractor was finalising on the fabrication of stations, park and ride facilities, bus depots and command Centre.
“We are making good progress. Electric buses will be procured via a Public-Private Partnership (PPP),” said Hinga.
BRT concept
The BRT concept which envisions to transform mass transportation of people, aims to decongest the city and reduce travel time. The system covers Nairobi City County and the adjoining counties of Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos, and Murang’a. The interconnected BRT lines are named after Kenya’s Big Five animals: Simba (Lion), Kifaru (Rhino), Chui (Leopard), Ndovu (Elephant), and Nyati (Buffalo).
On the Thika Highway, the points linked to footbridges will serve as BRT stations erected along islands between the carriageways. This means passengers boarding or alighting will not have to worry about crossing through the lanes. The stations have been designed in such a way that access and exit from the stations is through the footbridge. This results to no room for commuters to slip or sneak through motorways. This is part of an integrated public transport service linked to Nairobi Commuter Rail Network (NCRN) that has commuter stations in in Kikuyu, Embakasi Village, Pipeline, Donholm, Dandora, Kahawa, Ruiru, Athi River, Githurai and Mwiki.
So far, works on designated BRT stations are ongoing at Safari Park, Roysambu, Clayworks, Kahawa Barracks and Kenyatta University. According to Namata Chief Executive Officer Francis Gitau, the bus rapid transit will deliver fast, comfortable and cost-effective services at metro-level capacities.
