The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) will vet afresh public service vehicle (PSV) body-builders and issue new licences in a bid to weed out quacks and enhance safety as it implements new standards.
The NTSA last week asked body-builders to seek fresh approvals to manufacture PSV bodies. The new body-building standards, technically known as KS 372, were gazetted on March 1, said NTSA in a notice in the dailies. The guidelines require only approved firms to build the body of passenger vehicles.
“The authority requires submission of applications from interested passenger vehicle body-builders for the purposes of registration, vetting and licensing,” said director-general Francis Meja in the notice.
best practices
Kenya initially adopted the new rules on May 22, 2017.
The standards are meant to enhance the safety and comfort of passengers. They, for instance, ensure that poor structural designs do not crush passengers in case of an accident.
Under the rules, body-builders will also be compelled to embrace best practices such as strong seat anchorage, use of materials such as fibreglass and plastics rather than heavy metals on seat handles.
SOURCE: businessdailyafrica.com
