Passengers plying the Nakuru-Bahati route have protested against the arbitrary hiking of fares on the route.

The angered passengers claim that matatu drivers have colluded with conductors to hike fares irregularly.

“We are wondering why the fares are not fixed. It keeps fluctuating every now and then and it is affecting us a lot,” said Sharon Wanjiru, a commuter.

Transport from Nakuru has allegedly increased for the past three months from Sh50 to Sh100. The increase is despite the road having been repaired.

Angry passengers protested on Sunday, saying the hike is exploitative.

Simon Njoroge, a matatu operator, blamed the government and said the hikes were due to increased matatu operational costs. He said some of the additional costs were brought by fixing speed governors, joining Saccos, repairing vehicles and also by observing all traffic rules.

“The government is to blame for all this and the members of the public should not blame us,” the matatu operator said.

John Chege, chairman of the Bahamas Sacco, said the association is negotiating with matatu owners to have fixed fares.

Almost a month after the delayed electronic fare payment system aborted, commuters have continued to be exploited by operators. So far, no single vehicle on the Nakuru-Bahati route is using the card payment system. The operators argue that they will have to be educated on the use of the system.

James Ndirangu, a conductor, revealed that they have not been educated on the electronic mode of payment despite the Ministry of Transport promising to train matatu operators.