For decades, Kenya’s matatu industry has operated with a character all its own: conductors calling for passengers, vehicles competing for customers, crews working under pressure to make enough trips and commuters learning to navigate a system that can be fast and convenient one moment and unpredictable the next.
Now the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) wants to change some of that culture.
More than 4,000 PSV drivers, operators, SACCO managers and supervisors are being targeted in a new nationwide training programme aimed at making Kenya’s public transport industry more professional.
The first four-day training sessions began on September 21 in Mombasa, Taita Taveta and Garissa, with the programme expected to expand progressively to other parts of the country.
But this isn’t simply another road-safety seminar.
NTSA is talking about changing how the business of public transport is run.
From chasing passengers to running a transport business
Perhaps the most striking phrase coming from the programme is NTSA’s reference to moving away from “passenger-chasing operations.”
Anyone familiar with Kenya’s matatu culture will understand what that looks like.
A matatu crew wants passengers. Another vehicle serving the same destination wants the same passengers. Vehicles may spend time filling up, stop repeatedly along the road or compete for customers.
Behind that behaviour is a commercial reality: matatus need passengers to make money.
NTSA’s reform programme is attempting to shift the sector towards professionally managed, safety-focused and financially sustainable transport businesses.
That is a much bigger ambition than simply teaching drivers to obey traffic rules.
Drivers are being taught how to treat passengers
Customer service has also entered the classroom.
The programme covers passenger care and professional conduct, alongside defensive driving, hazard awareness, vehicle inspections, emergency response, driver wellness, fuel efficiency and compliance with traffic laws.
For the passenger sitting in a matatu every morning, those words have a very practical meaning.
Was the vehicle driven safely?
Did the crew communicate properly?
Was the passenger treated with respect?
Was the vehicle in a safe condition?
Those everyday interactions are ultimately where the public will experience — or fail to experience — the reforms.
This time, SACCO bosses are in the classroom too
One particularly important part of the programme is that NTSA isn’t putting all the responsibility on drivers.
SACCO managers, operators and supervisors are also being trained.
Their side of the programme covers areas such as governance, fleet management, financial performance, customer experience, compliance and technology. Participants are also expected to prepare improvement plans for their operations.
That matters.
A driver may be the person a passenger sees behind the wheel, but there is an entire business behind that vehicle.
The SACCO or company determines how vehicles are managed, how crews are supervised and what standards are expected from them.
Nairobi alone has numerous SACCOs operating across different corridors and destinations. Metros Kenya’s Nairobi Matatu SACCOs, Routes and Destinations guide helps commuters identify operators and the areas they serve.
Could PSV driving become a recognised profession?
Another interesting part of the programme is what comes after the current training.
NTSA plans to work with training institutions towards a Professional Drivers Certification programme and specialised training in Public Transport Management.
That could gradually change how PSV driving is viewed.
Driving a matatu would not simply be about having the licence needed to operate the vehicle. Professional training could place greater emphasis on passenger service, safety, vehicle knowledge and professional conduct.
For thousands of people who make their living behind the wheel, that could also strengthen the idea of PSV driving as a skilled profession.
What happens when the programme reaches Nairobi?
That is where this becomes particularly interesting for commuters.
Nairobi has some of the country’s busiest public transport corridors, from Thika Road and Jogoo Road to Ngong Road, Waiyaki Way, Mombasa Road and Lang’ata Road.
Thousands of matatus move commuters through these corridors every day.
Metros Kenya has mapped many of these services in its Nairobi Matatu Routes and Numbers database, covering route numbers, destinations and the major corridors they use.
NTSA says the programme will expand progressively and give attention to high-risk corridors and high-volume routes.
That makes the eventual rollout to Nairobi particularly significant.
The capital provides perhaps the biggest test of whether classroom lessons can survive the commercial pressures of an actual matatu route.
And this may only be the beginning
The 4,000-person training programme should not be viewed in isolation.
Information gathered through the initiative is expected to feed into the review of Kenya’s PSV (Operations) Regulations, 2014 and the wider licensing framework.
NTSA has also identified broader ideas including operator consolidation, contract-based service delivery and integrated fare systems as part of the reform discussion.
Those would be much more fundamental changes.
An integrated fare system could affect how commuters pay. Contract-based operations could change how services are organised. Operator consolidation could reshape the businesses running vehicles on Kenyan roads.
These ideas are not yet the everyday reality for passengers, and it is important not to present them as completed reforms.
But they show that the conversation is moving beyond road safety campaigns towards the structure of the public transport industry itself.
The matatu stage will provide the real examination
Training 4,000 people sounds impressive.
Certificates can be issued. Courses can be completed. New standards can be written.
But Kenya’s commuters will have a much simpler test.
When they walk to a matatu stage, is the service any better?
Are crews more professional? Are vehicles being driven more safely? Is there less aggressive competition for passengers? Are SACCOs managing their operations better?
That is where NTSA’s professionalisation programme will ultimately succeed or fail.
Because the real examination won’t happen inside the classroom.
It will happen at the matatu stage.
