The public service industry in Nairobi has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons from the rampant cases of carjacking to the facing out of 14 seater matatus causing uproar in the city of Kenya. Most 14 seaters were confined to the Muthurwa area in Nairobi while a few were left to linger in town and pick those who opted to ride in them.

The Jogoo road route in Kenya has been home to the carjacking saga. A few weeks ago it was alleged that the City Hoppa operators in Nairobi were working in a cohort with the hijackers. The Inspector General of Kenya, David Kimaiyo went as far as threatening to deregister the firm which has a fleet of over 200 buses plying different routes in the city of Nairobi including Karen and Kawangware. There had been widespread allegations that the city hoppa drivers were colluding with the thugs to rob off the passengers in Nairobi. The City Hoppa fleets’ management termed the allegations as mere propaganda aimed giving them negative publicity.

Later on, another line of buses in Nairobi was introduced to the route. The UmoInner fleet of buses, blazing in their orange and white themes shared the same stage with the city hoppa buses-Ronald Ngala Avenue in Nairobi. To beat the city hoppa buses, these particular buses introduced a culture frisking of passengers before they could enter into the bus. They employed personnel who stood by the bus doors, frisking passengers for guns and bombs, I guess. This gesture generally drew more clients to UmoInner buses for the surety of safety in the buses.

Located very close to the UmoInner Bus station is the OTC bus station in Nairobi where the double M fleets are packed. The double M Buses ply different routes in Nairobi including Umoja. Double M buses are known to be driven very diplomatically, unlike the UmoInner fleets. They also do not hike the fare prices exorbitantly on rainy days. The only bad thing about double M buses is the long queues of people waiting to get into the buses. Well, this is also advantageous in that people do not scramble for buses and people get in, in a first come first served basis. However, if you need to get to home fast, UmoInner is most certainly your best bargain.

For the people who live along the outer ring road in Nairobi, you best travel with double M buses. This is because most, if not all, UmoInner buses pass through Buruburu estate to Umoja via the newly opened Sonko road in Nairobi.  This means that if you live in Tena estate in Nairobi for instance, you will have to walk all the way from Mtindwa market.  Mtindwa market in Nairobi, which is divided by Sonko road, has many vendors ranging from fruit vendors to second hand clothes vendors. With the influx of motor vehicles on the barely 6 meter wide road, there is perpetual traffic on the road in Nairobi. Just yesterday, a train (as there is a railway line that crosses Sonko road) rammed into an UmoInner bus killing 12 people and injuring scores. Apparently the bus driver was overlapping when the accident in Umoja occurred.

I personally do not enjoy the booming music in most of the UmoInner buses, so for me- it’s Double M, anytime!