The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) has begun testing the Green Park Terminus with the public service vehicles.
The test run is being done in two phases with the first phase involving public service vehicles (PSVs) terminating at Railways Station while the second one will involve matatus plying Ngong and Langata Roads and is set to run until Sunday, June 26, 2022, when further communication will be done by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services.
Police started the enforcement very early in the morning at the Bunyala Roundabout where they diverted all matatus towards the Bunyala Road heading to Upperhill.
Only personal vehicles and heavy commercial vehicles were permitted to access Uhuru Highway from the Bunyala Roundabout.
Wednesday’s test run was meant to only be for matatu from Rongai, Kiseran, Ngong, Karen, Langata, Nairobi West/Madaraka, Kibra, Kawangware, Dagoretti/Satellite, Kilimani, Highrise/Ngumo and Kikuyu.
Matatus from Langata Road on reaching Nyayo Stadium are expected to join Uhuru Highway to Bunyala Roundabout where they will turn left and take Lower Hill Road.
From Lower Hill, they will join Haile Selassie Avenue, turn left for a few meters and make a new U-turn, which has been constructed to filter traffic, before joining the Green Park.
Matatus also have an option of heading to the Mortuary Roundabout and joining Ngong Road then taking the usual road to Kenya National Library and NHIF area and entering the Green Park through the dedicated lane.
The trial run comes after three failed test runs at the terminus, located at the former Lunar Park, last year.
The new development follows a meeting between NMS and transport stakeholders in the city Thursday last week as part of final preparations for the commissioning of the terminal.
“We will start the trial run in two phases with the first phase involving PSVs terminating at Railways and the second involving PSVs plying Ngong Road and Langata Road,” said NMS Director of Transport Engineer Michael Ochieng.
“These phases will be trial-runs and not the main commissioning our teams will be doing the rehearsals. When we complete the trials, we will go for an appropriate date for official commissioning,” he added.
The new terminus can accommodate between 300 and 350 vehicles at any one time, processing about 1,000 PSVs per hour and up to 20,000 per day.