Public (bus) transport forms the backbone of motorised passenger transport in the city of Nairobi, Kenya. The system consists of two privately owned subsystems: standard type buses and a host of minibuses, competing on the same routes in a largely deregulated environment. Prom the user perspective, system performance is low as regards travel times. Low average speeds are mainly caused by congestion and the absence of busways and public transport priority measures. This study estimated the economic effects of a proposed busway on Jogoo Road, a major corridor in Nairobi, with the use of the `Integration' model. It concludes that such a busway is an economically attractive option as a result of considerable speed increases for both public transport vehicles and general motorised traffic. It also makes the case that restricted use of this busway (prohibiting the use by smaller minibuses) can be an instrument to promote the use of larger, more efficient minibuses.
Abstract