Monday, 21 July 2014

MACHAKOS COUNTRY BUS TERMINUS - Passenger be Alert



Machakos Country Bus Terminus is considered among the busiest bus termini in Nairobi. It is Located along Landhies road opposite Muthurwa bus terminus. The bus stage is used by people traveling upcountry more especially, to the Eastern, Western and Northern Parts of the Country. 

Being busy attracts all sorts of incidences both good and bad, but in most cases the bad ones prevail more than the good ones. As a way of giving you information on different locations, this is keep you alert while in such places. There are many told stories about machakos country bus stage and this mostly happens during the festive season.  The festive season comes in the month of December and at times during Easter Holidays when the city residents are traveling to be with their relatives in the village.  It is evident that it is during this time that people in Nairobi get enough time to join their other relatives upcountry.
During the festive season the number of people traveling upcountry is quite high compared to other seasons and it eventually attracts struggle for matatus as they become limited.  The thugs and robbers take advantage of the situation and confuse the already stressed minds of commuters.  At the bus terminus, there are guys who claim to be matatu touts or conductors who volunteer to help the commuter carry their luggage as they direct them to board a bus.  It is true that some of them are genuine and would like to help but a few could be robbers. 

Commuters with luggage more especially those with more than one luggage easily fall into prey.  As different touts from different buses scramble for a commuter, they always go for the luggage to be able to win the commuter as they negotiate.  In case they manage to get the luggage they will go ahead and take it to their buses and therefore the commuter has no choice but to follow to know where the luggage is being taken to.  In most cases the commuter may have not mastered their faces because everything happens so fast.  They usually move so fast and if not keen they just disappear from passenger’s sight and he/she may not grasp what went on.  The passenger is left stranded and more confused not knowing what to do.

Most likely, the genuine touts may have taken the luggage to the matatu they work for.  On some occasions the luggage could have been taken to two different buses and once the luggage is in the bus they forget about the commuter and go looking for more people, meaning it will be hard for the commuter to trace her luggage.  In cases where the touts were robbers, they definitely may have disappeared with the luggage. 

Long distance buses have boots or carriers where luggage is kept.  As the buses leave the city there are those people who alight on the way before the destination of the bus and as a result of this, passengers may also loose their luggage on the way.  What happens is that when a passenger with a luggage alights, the conductor/tout might offload someone else luggage either by mistake or intentionally.  Therefore the passengers are advised to be watchful not to leave their luggage behind.  

At times the commuter may assume that since they saw their luggage being loaded at the bus terminus, it should be safe until they reach their destination not knowing it could have been left at the same spot (at the terminus in the city). This happens whereby, once the passenger gets into the bus the luggage is offloaded without her/his knowledge.  


Machakos country bus stage is a beehive of so many activities and when traveling with small children commuters are advised to be very attentive not to loose them because of the fuss at the bus terminus. Information on different locations help us arrive safe at our intended destinations.

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