Modern Coast bus firm will resume normal operations today after pulling out its fleets for passenger services over unfavorable Covid-19 protocols issued by government last year
The transport firm has announced full resumption of its passenger services, as it plans to bounce back in the transport business.
“We will be starting operations in all routes from Mombasa to upcountry as it has been doing before the pandemic,” Modern Coast chief executive officer Harun Butt told the nation.africa on a telephone interview.
Mr Butt said the company will also be running a special offer for customers booking online, as it will be cheaper than coming to the office.
Between March last year and August this year, Mr Butt said that the company suffered a loss of over Sh350 million as it had to scale down its operation, and an eventual stoppage of the passenger services across the country and in Uganda, and Rwanda.
“From a work force of 1, 100 people, only 300 remained. 800 people lost their jobs,” he said.
Mr Butt said that the bus firm will from today release 20 buses as they monitor the demand.
The transport firm made the announcement days after the government allowed the public service vehicles to resume carrying passengers at full capacity.
Last week, the ministry of transport announced that the decision to allow PSVs to resume full capacity was made following a review of the covid-19 situation.
However, the decision has come at a time the country is experiencing the fourth wave of the pandemic. PSVs have been operating at 60 per cent capacity as part of the covid-19 containment measures to reduce the spread of the virus.
PSV operators are required to have sanitisers and to self-regulate to ensure that the gains made in containing the virus are not reversed.
The Covid-19 protocol on the reduction in number of passengers in all PSVs were announced in June last year, and since then, bus companies have been struggling to stay afloat.
In the measures, 14-seater matatus were allowed to carry only eight passengers, while the buses were operating with 23 passengers per trip. This significantly reduced their revenues.
The Covid-19 protocols forced companies like Modern Coast and Mombasa Raha to shift their focus courier services to remain in business.
Transport firms like Modern Coast parked its buses, in what the management termed high operating costs that made the business expensive to sustain. Competition from Shuttles-14-seater vehicles also edged out business that attempted to introduce new routes.
But with the relaxation of the measures, the bus companies that have been struggling are hoping to fully bounce back to business.
Mr Butt has welcomed this move adding that it will sav bus transport firms from further losses.
“All passengers using our buses will be screened before boarding and that they will all be required to mask up during the journey,” Mr Butt said. BY DAILY NATION