Why Spitting In A Taxi, Littering Will Land You In Jail

Kenyans using taxi vehicles to get from one destination to another risk being sentenced to six months in jail or a fine of Ksh20,000 or both for disorderly habits such as spitting or littering in the cars.

These are part of tough new rules issued by Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) James Macharia aimed at cutting down the reported cases of crime, unruliness, and disorder that have been affecting the taxi sector.

Passengers have also been barred from using offensive language as well as being unruly while riding in the digital cabs.

Taxi cabs in Kenya. /FILE

Other habits barred include spitting in or from the vehicle, deliberately damaging or soiling it as well as smoking cigarettes, throwing bottles from the vehicle, or damaging any part or equipment in the vehicle during their travels.

“A transport network passenger shall while using a transport network service or riding in a transport network vehicle not throw out of the transport network vehicle any bottle, liquid or litter or any other article or thing; (and shall) pay the fare for the whole journey taken,” read the regulations in part.

Other tough rules particularly for digital drivers include being barred from taking longer routes than the ones stipulated as a means of unfairly hiking charges. Also criminalised include driving without a hands-free communications device.

“Each transport network driver offering transport network duties of transport services shall drive transport network passengers to their destination by other than the shortest and most direct route unless requested to do so by the passenger; drive any transport network vehicle while using a mobile communications device without a hands-free accessory; be physically or verbally abusive to any transport network passenger use offensive gestures,” the law adds.

Also outlawed include tinting the windows of digital taxis and instructing drivers to issue tickets or receipts to passengers for far paid.

The drivers have also been barred from chewing miraa, smoking, or drink driving.

No digital taxi should be more than 16 years since the date of its manufacture and the owners of the transport vehicle should keep the driver’s license details for a minimum of two years and also enter into a written agreement with the driver detailing the nature of their relationship.

The law also bars digital taxi drivers from assigning, transferring to, or allowing usage of the transport network service platform account by any other person, including another licensed transport network driver .

The drivers are required to return any items left behind to their customers but at the passenger’s cost.

A photo of Nairobi's city centre. /FILE