Bamburi: Police have been urged to hasten investigations into a series of attacks on cashless mini-buses operated by Exodus Mobility in partnership with the County Government of Mombasa in Bamburi, Kisauni Sub-County.
According to Kenya News Agency, barely two weeks after the new scheduled public transport service in the Port City, dubbed Move Mombasa, commenced operations, it has faced some hurdles. Unknown people have attacked the mini-buses plying the Bamburi-Docks and Bamburi-Docks routes, staff have been threatened, and the operations of the cashless buses have been disrupted.
The attacks have caused the company to incur losses, as the six buses have ceased their services due to the incidents. The unfortunate occurrence at the Bamburi Mwisho stage was reported at the Bamburi Police Station.
Exodus Mobility Co-Founder and CEO Kikonde Mwatela expressed concern, stating, “Our employees were threatened, and the daily operations and schedules were deliberately halted. We condemn the acts in the strongest terms possible.” The CEO informed passengers who had signed up for the service that operations are temporarily suspended for safety reasons, but they are assured that the issue will be resolved by tomorrow.
In a move to encourage ridership upon its return, the firm has reduced its weekly bus passenger fare from Sh1,000 to Sh839. “We believe all residents of Mombasa deserve to commute safely and at an affordable fare. Exodus Mobility stands for change, safety, and innovation,” he stated, affirming that the company has recruited locals as drivers and conductors.
Abbas Omar, a driver for the firm, mentioned receiving complaints from Matatu drivers who were concerned that the entry of the new service would disrupt their work due to its weekly and cashless payment system. “They decided we cannot work since we are disrupting their work. They stopped us, but we had to stop operations to avert damage to the vehicles. We reported to the Bamburi Police Station,” he said, urging other industry players to embrace competition.
Kenneth Kinyajui, a co-founder of the firm, expressed trust in the police to thoroughly investigate and swiftly apprehend the culprits. Salim Omar, a staff member, further urged the police to determine the root cause of the incident, emphasizing that everyone has the right to do business and that healthy competition should be encouraged.