TRANSPORTERS have raised concern that most buses operating as public service vehicles are fitted with ‘truck chassis’ by the manufacturers.
The chassis is the under part of a vehicle, consisting of the frame on which the body is mounted.
The transporters said about 70 per cent of buses are fitted with truck chassis, which make them lower in stability and prone to accidents.
Polycarp Igathe, the chair of the Petroleum Institute of East Africa, said this issue should be investigated.
“Standards all over the world do not allow buses to use truck chassis, but in Kenya many buses are fitted with these chassis. We are carrying Kenyans in coffins,” he said.
Igathe is also the managing director of Vivo Energy Kenya, the sellers of Shell fuel products in the country.
He spoke last Thursday during the Commercial Road Transport Conference at Whitesands Hotel, Mombasa, which brought together hundreds of transporters.
The conference was aimed at addressing challenges and equipping participants with comprehensive, practical and up-to-date knowledge on regional transport policies on the local and global scale.
Igathe said a bigger percentage of road accidents is caused by unstable vehicles.
“Truck chassis should be used in trucks and not buses. The government should ensure manufacturers are producing the standard required products to end this road carnage,” he said.
The National Transport and Safety Authority said the issue will be investigated.
NTSA chairman Lee Kinyanjui said they will work with manufacturers to ensure they adhere to regulations.
“Yes, it has come to our attention that a lot of chassis used in buses are actually for trucks, that means they are lower in stability,” he said.
“The chassis for buses and trucks should be used as required.”
