While travelling, everyone puts their comfort first, well maybe on a tie with their budget but comfort brings out the thrill in a journey.
In Kenya, a greater percentage of people use public transport on daily basis, this may be to and from their work places or from towns to their rural homes and back.
All in all, comfort and safety in terms of the vehicle you board comes first.
Whownskenya.com looks at some of the best managed Matatu Saccos in Kenya. These matatus offer quality customer services to both passengers and parcels.
North Rift
This is one of the leading public service transport companies in the country. North Rift shuttles and coaches link Nairobi to major towns within the Rift Valley and Western Kenya.
Apart from the lauded passenger services, the company also provides courier services to its customers at affordable rates.
The Sacco was founded in 1988 under the name Everytime Peugeot Services plying the Eldoret-Nairobi route using the Peugeot 504 Station wagons.
Today, the sacco operates the following routes: Nairobi – Eldoret, Nairobi – Bungoma, Eldoret – Bungoma – Chwele, Eldoret – Kitale, Nairobi – Kitale – Kimilili, Nakuru – Eldoret, and Nairobi – Nakuru routes.
From Nairobi to Eldoret, the sacco charges between Ksh800 and Ksh1,200 depending on the season.
Neno Sacco
Nairobi, Embu, Nissan Operators (Neno) Sacco is one of the largest matatu operators in the country.
The company links Nairobi to major towns in Embu, Tharaka Nithi and Meru Counties.
Neno was formed as a welfare group by matatu owners from Embu in the 90s and has grown over time. The company offers loans and savings services to its members, along with operating the matatus.
It owns Neno Courier Services. The company also owns Neno Plaza in Nairobi currently leased to a commercial bank, a hotel and a building in Mombasa.
Through Neno Courier Services, the company runs the Imani Coaches Ltd, which has a fleet of over 15 buses operating within Meru, Nairobi, Mombasa and Mtwapa.
Naekana Sacco
Naekana Route 134 Sacco Society Limited was founded in the 1970’s. Initially, it operated Peugeot 504 station wagons. In the 1990’s, a group of members formed an organization called Namanga Nissan Services operating Nissan QD’s.
In early 2000 a group of 27 members came up with an idea of forming the Sacco and on November 23, 2003, it was officially registered as Naekana Route 134 Sacco Society Limited under the Ministry of Marketing and Co-Opeartive Development.
The members developed a culture of saving to improve their livelihoods. Today, the Sacco has a fleet of over 260 vehicle. The Sacco is managed by a team of 7 members of the board and a CEO.
The Sacco also also offers savings and loan services to its members.
It links Nairobi to major towns in Kajiado, Makueni, Machakos and Mombasa Counties.
Some of its major routes include: Nairobi – Kitengela – Isinya – Kajiado – Namanga, Nairobi – Mtoto Andei – Voi – Mombasa, Nairobi – Emali – Loitoktok – Taveta – Voi – Mombasa, Nairobi – Mbumbuni – Wote
Kinatwa Sacco
Kinatwa Sacco is a public service transport company headquartered in Kitui town, Kitui County.
It operates Matatus linking Nairobi to towns along the Nairobi-Mombasa road.
The company was founded in 2001 by matatu owners from Nairobi and Kitui and registered under cooperatives in 2004.
Kinatwa has upheld its core objectives of savings mobilization for owned land at affordable rates to enable members engage in their businesses profitable and improve their lively hood.
The company mainly operates 14-seater vehicles offering affordable passenger and courier services.
Its major routes include: Nairobi-Kitui-Mwingi-Wote-Kibwezi-Makindu-Mutomo-Mombasa.
4NTE Sacco
The Sacco is among the longest serving matatu operators in the country. The society was registered as a transport sacco in 1992 with a total membership of 40 drawn from the then disbanded Matatu Owners Association.
It is known majorly to ply the Nairobi-Nanyuki-Nyahuruu routes, though it traverses various other parts of the country.
The Sacco also offers savings and loans services to its members.
Some of the towns it plies its trade include:Embu, Kerugoya, Kangema, Thika, Karatina, Kutus, Nairobi and Mwea.
Others include: Nyahururu, Maralal, Rumuruti, Nanyuki, Isiolo, Olkalou, Nakuru, Naivasha, Eldoret, Kericho, and Kisumu.
2NK Sacco
The Company is among the leading public service transport providers in the country. It is headquartered in Nyeri Town.
The company as founded and registered in 1994 by matatu owners from Nyeri and Karatina.
It offers passenger and courier services to its customers at affordable rates.
2NK Sacco links Nairobi to some of the major towns in the country including: Nyeri, Karatina , Nakuru, Eldoret, Thika and Nanyuki.
Other towns include: Nyahururu, Kerugoya, Othaya, and Naivasha.
The Sacco also provides financial services to its members.
These include: Individual Loans, Emergency Loans, Business Loans, Education Loan, Asset Finance, Salary Advance, Group Loan, Insurance Premium Finance, Fixed Deposit Account, Group Accounts, Individual Account, and 2nk little angels savings account.
Mololine Sacco
The Sacco was founded in 1994 with an aim to bring order to a then chaotic matatu industry. Molo Line started services in Nakuru main bus terminal in 1995.
They operated 14-seater matatus and 18-seater mini buses from Nakuru to Nairobi and have grown ever since.
Mololine is famed for its quality passenger and courier services that has seen the company become a preference of many.
The Sacco links Nairobi to major towns in the Rift Valley and Western Kenya.
It also provides financial services such as savings and loans to its members.
Super Metro (Nairobi-Kikuyu-Juja-Ngong)
The company operates matatus within Nairobi County and the Nairobi Metropolitan area.
On February 10, 2021, hundreds of commuters were stranded in Ngong after matatus went on strike over the entry of Super Metro vehicles into the Nairobi-Ngong route. This was enough to give testament of how highly the Sacco is regarded by commuters in Nairobi.
Any body in Nairobi can witness the long meandering queues of people waiting to board their vehicles.
They are known to offer standard rates, while offering comfortable rides in their well maintained PSVs.
Transline Classic
The company is among the leading long distance travel service providers in the country.
Transline was founded in 2005 by Evans Nyang’au after he converted his two matatus named “Fagilia Kibati” and “Fagilia Prezzo” which originally plied the Kisii-Nakuru route to shuttles and began operating the Kisii-Nairobi route.
He later welcomed his friends into the company and together, they grew the company into what it is today.
Transline offers amazing passenger and parcel services across the country, and is known to put the safety of its customers first.
In a route that has seen major companies come and go, rise and fall, Transline’s persistent quality customer services have seen the company continue to thrive.
It links Nairobi to the following towns: Kisii, Kisumu, Migori, Sirare, Rongo, Busia, Kitale, Keroka, Kijauri, Sotik, Bomet, Narok, Mombasa.
