Why is it that in Kenya, 14 seat matatus are very popular in medium distance than say 25 to 45 seat category buses?
For instance, if you check out most Saccos … Molo line, Narok line, Nema, they all operate the 14 seat category yet their loads are almost always 100 per cent.
@kwesta Sijakupata poa…???
they fill fast. Try travelling to Nanyuki on an odd day like thursday afternoon then assume you need to fill a forty five seater bus before you leave, 5 hrs zitaisha.
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ushajibiwa hapa na aongeze.
they are cheap brand new and mutumba. plus easy to resell
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My observations: generally, for journey-times of up to around 4hrs (give or take) most people prefer smaller capacity vehicles. For an owner/operator, mahesabu ya basi hapana macheso. One used to tell us that ikiwa hiyo basi haibebi mizigo, he was making losses.
One other issue, from the investor’s perspective, is how we finance our businesses. By its nature, it’s a capital intensive business yet our financial institutions do not have flexible/attractive fans long-term financing options for those venturing into it. Ditto if you’re a beginner. Thus, most are resort to short-term loans to finance what is essentially a long-term capital intensive business. The result is the cutthroat nature of the business and the attendant general disorder it spawns.
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