Due to the growing cost of gasoline in Kenya, long-distance bus company Easy Coach has raised its prices, which has continued to impact the county and new minimum wages.
For a one-way ticket from Nairobi to Kitale, the company now charges Sh1,700, up from Sh1,450, and from Sh1,800 to Sh2,000 for a trip to Kisumu, up from Sh1,400.
Other buses, including Greenline, have raised their prices from Sh1,600 to Sh2,000 for a one-way ticket between Nairobi and Kisumu.
Easy Coach has for a long time kept its fare at Sh1,450 during all the major seasons, including Christmas, when demand for upcountry travel is at its highest.
Azym Dossa, the company’s managing director, claimed that the cost of conducting business has dramatically increased, forcing the company to modify its tariffs on several routes around the nation.
Even if the price of gasoline has slightly decreased over the past two months, it is still high—Sh136 for a litre of diesel on average compared to a year ago, when it was sold for Sh107 on average.
The minimum wage for this year has been increased by the government from the previous range of Sh7,240.96 to Sh30,627.45 per month to a range of Sh8,109.90 to Sh34,302.75 per month.