T.S.S, Rengcom among suspended saccos by NTSA.

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has suspended the licences belonging to Indimanje Sacco, Tahir Sheikh Said (TSS) Transporters Limited and Rengcom Communications Ltd over failure to follow provisions of the licences awarded to them.

This is after NTSA received reports of fatal road traffic crashes caused by vehicles belonging to the  PSV Saccos and Companies on various dates, and suspended indefinitely the Operators licence belonging to Indimanje Sacco, Tahir Sheikh Said (TSS) Transporters Limited Night Travel License, and Rengcom Communications Ltd Night Travel License.

NTSA says the suspension will only be lifted after the operators show evidence that they have fully complied with the licensing requirements as provided in Gazette Notice number 23 of 2014.

Members of the public have been advised not to board vehicles belonging to these operators until the suspensions are lifted.

“We wish to take this opportunity to remind all road users to ensure that they exercise caution and observe safety laws as they transport passengers, particularly during this Easter period. We have deployed adequate officers who will be monitoring compliance with safety laws and help in apprehending traffic offenders,” read the statement by the NTSA.

In December 2015,  the NTSA revoked licenses of 34 drivers of Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) for flouting traffic rules.

NTSA cancelled the licences for the 34 after they failed to comply with rules set for night travel, driving while drunk, and speeding.

NTSA  also halted operations of 26 vehicles from various Saccos for failing to have speed governors and for not having night travel licenses.
                                         Source: Citizen Digital

NTSA to complete migration from analog to digital in April

Motorists will be able to apply for registration documents pertaining to their cars including number plates, log books and vehicle transfer by mid-April

Kenyans are set to handle their vehicle registration matters online following a decision by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to transfer their services to the internet by mid-April, 2016.

Motor vehicle registration and transfer will now be instant.

Applying for a log book will now take 10 minutes from the previous process of waiting between one and six months for application documents to be processed. Getting a duplicate of the same will also take a day from the current one month wait.

Users will also get to decide where they want to pick up their log books between Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

According to NTSA director Fernando Wangila, car buyers will have an opportunity to choose their own number plates at a premium fee or wait for the Authority to assign them one.

Applying for a personalized number plate in the country goes for KSh 1 million while opting to go for one assigned by the NTSA and Kenya Revenue Authority will cost you Ksh 2 700.

A personalized number plate must contain a maximum of seven letters in caps and must be embossed in blue with a white background. Any offensive symbols or words are prohibited.

The Authority, according to the Daily Nation, said that for one to have access to these services, they would be required to access a portal that will be publicized in the coming weeks, create a profile and log in with their PINs.

All one would have to do is enter the chasis number of their vehicle so that they can use the NTSA services on the portal.

By embracing online activities, the NTSA and KRA will have done away with the hours long queuing Kenyans have been subjected to in order to renew licenses and register their cars in people jammed halls.

This would also provide a data base that would capture details of motorists in case criminal activities are carried out using their vehicles or if their property is stolen for purposes of prosecution

Source..TUKO and Daily Nation news

My thoughts on the perfect driver's car.

I fear that the best examples of automotive perfection are in the past. Only are good new driver’s cars increasingly few and far in between. Cars and the automotive culture is a big deal to me, not only because it can play a vital role in larger society, but because I think the time for truly great driver’s cars has passed. Even if I am a pea-brained millennial that has no concept of why anyone would consciously use Whatsapp other than sending pictures of their genitals to strangers. I will write about cars that allow their drivers the greatest amount of feedback and communication with the least amount of compromise to other aspects of the car. Everyone has to come into terms that the proverbial driving experience is changing at a rapid pace.

Cars are becoming safer to drive in, they are feature-rich and efficient and engines have never had more output, whether it is an econobox Hyundai Sonata churning out a torque curve that would literally twist the swiss-cheese frame of a Mk I Golf GTI, or a mad Dodge Charger Hellcat with its ticket-to-the-pearly-gates 707 horses from a supercharged V8. This power is fed through a series of computers that analyze what the body of the car is doing, how far the suspension is compressed or stretched, the gear the transmission is in among others.

However, as with anything in the known human kingdom, there’s no such a thing as a free lunch, no matter what. Over the past few decades, automobiles have become, on average, more than 200 kilograms heavier than they were in the late ‘80s. Car prices have also sky-rocketed over the years, fueled by the added cost of development and implementation of the systems that serves as layers in between the driver and an unfiltered driving experience.

A fully loaded 1983 Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit GTI cost around 830,000 Kenyan Shillings in the US brand new, which translates to over 1,930,000 Kenyan Shillings in today’s money. Today, a 2015 Golf GTI with all options on-board would cost around 3,143,400 Kenyan Shillings.

The BMW E30 3 Series is considered by many car enthusiasts to be one of the best driver’s cars ever made. Its light chassis, taut suspension, an engine that loves revving very high and good practicality made this car an analog masterpiece. The handling and the feeling of barebones on this car was, and still is, the yardstick to which other cars can aspire to be. This car was all about the driving experience and nothing else; an embodiment of the “Ultimate Driving Machine” slogan BMW has been slinging.

The E30 had emissions and safety restrictions of its own to deal with. Those restrictions don’t seem as persuasive as they are now, and it is my concern that cars, even boutique, will never employ that amount of simplicity ever again. I can utterly lament that we will never have anything approaching the rawness of a BMW E39 M5 again. I really love this Bavarian.

I miss the days when high-end sports car manufacturers used hydraulic power steering systems instead of electric ones for “weight savings”. Petrolheads, or are we gear heads, are a subset of a subset of a population; a forgettable niche in the grand scheme of things. Cars like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Makinen, the 1993 Porsche 911 993(the most complete car on earth as Top Gear puts it in), the 1999 BMW 320d which was justifiable with head and heart, the 1996 Porsche Boxster which was perfect in the driving position, perfect engine, perfect brakes, a perfect gearbox and a perfect handling, it was inarguably perfect in everything of concern to a driver. Can a 2005 Bugatti Veyron fit in this category?

New traffic rules in Nairobi to counter traffic jams.

Motorists will be fined up to Sh100,000 if they flout rules on the newly introduced yellow boxes at junctions to ease traffic in the CBD.

City Hall has set a fine of Sh100,000 for driving without due care and attention and Sh50,000 for obstruction.

“Section 49 of the traffic rules states that those who drive without due care and attention be fined Sh100,000 and Sh50,000 for obstruction for first-time offenders,” said the county’s Director of Public Communications, Beryl Okundi.

City Hall drew yellow boxes in all intersections that are notoriously congested such as the intersections along Kenyatta Avenue, Mama Ngina Street, Wabera Street, City Hall Way and most areas where there are X junctions (Crossed junctions).

They are indicated by criss-cross yellow lines painted on the road and are usually found at the junction of two or more roads and at some roundabouts.

Motorists are only allowed to enter a yellow box junction when the exit is clear and there is enough space on the other side of the junction for a vehicle to clear the box completely without stopping.

One can stop at a yellow box junction when turning right and is prevented from turning by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles waiting to turn right.

They are advised not to simply follow the vehicle in front as it may stop and prevent exit and also not to let other drivers pressure them to enter the box when a clear exit is not available.

                                     Source: Business Daily

A quick glance at the Mercedes Benz Actros range of trucks.

Let’s learn something in depth about the mighty Mercedes Benz Actros range of trucks.

I thought it would be wise enough to compare these two road monster range one by one and see who takes the lead. Most of these observations are from mechanics and drivers whose most part of their lives they spend with these European machines

Let me begin with the Daimler-AG Mercedes Benz Actros range of trucks.

These trucks are made for long-distance haulage, heavy duty distribution and construction transportation. These are the kind that will haul a load to Juba from Mombasa without any hitches apart from occasional fueling or perhaps a puncture or such other minor hitches.

They are powered by either of two type of diesel which are either V8 or V6 engines. There is the OM 501 LA 541 which is a 12-litre V6 with outputs ranging from 238hp to 625hp. This engine uses an engine management system known as the PLD (Pumpe Leitung Duese-German abbr) that uses single plug-in pumps for each cylinder that supplies fuel under a pressure of 1600bar to the injection valves. The second engine is the OM 502 LA 542 which is usually found on the newer models. I have from some forums that this is one of the European engines that Kenyan mechanics are conversant with. Word has been moving around that the Actros 3340, is one truck that was specifically made for the African market. Perhaps it is true seeing how many old 3340s that are still running well. By the way, before I forget, all of these engines are turbo-charged and intercooled.

The Actros range of trucks has evolved across four distinct phases, from Actros 1, 2, 3 and 4 with the second generation having an electronic sequential gearbox (the Telligent Gearbox). This gearbox uses a computer and a load- sensing system on the fifth wheel coupling to estimate the best gear that the truck must be in. There is also an automatic version of this gear box. The fourth generation of the Actros uses exclusively the 12-speed Powershift 3 automated gearbox. Here, drivers are afforded precise gear selection, short shift times, optimum ride comfort and minimum consumption in any driving situation. The V8 engine has been optimized for performance hence delivering an incredibly high torque response which works in harmony with the shift strategy of the standard-fit automated transmission hence giving a smoother driving experience. This truck uses an optionally available mind-blowing Predictive Powertrain Control system which adapts to the topography of the road ahead by using satellite positioning technology and a 3D map which works with the engine, optimizing gear-shift points and cruise control speeds.  

By the way, the Actros has won numerous awards among them the prestigious Truck of the Year award, Truck of the Decade and Guinness World Record for the most fuel efficient truck in the world at 40 tonnes. This is a truck with a very great pedigree. Word from Mercedes Benz truck webpage that the new actros has been equipped with frugal engines with the Euro V model having up to 7 percent lower consumption than its predecessors.

DT Dobie is the local franchise holder of this machine in Kenya…… A unit costs around 10 million Kenya Shillings. They have a warranty of one year.

This truck has a range of available options from wheel configurations and wheelbases to cab and storage options which is immense and makes it possible to configure the right vehicle for your long distance transport operation. There are a host of safety and assistance systems available to the driver including the new Attention Assist, the enhanced Active Brake Assist as well as the Proximity Control Assist with a stop-and-go function.

Porshe Kenya opens body repair shop

Porsche Centre Nairobi has opened a Sh122 million body shop for repair of Porsche cars and other luxury brands.

The facility dubbed PoshAutoBody  located off Mombasa Road, has European technology and equipment that enables the repair of most car
brands from Europe and Asia.

"As an automotive entity, we aim to deliver
total satisfaction and premium experience to
our customers,” said Dimitris Karakoulas, the
general manager automotive at Porsche.

Porsche emerged the   top-selling model in the luxury vehicle market.

Source: Business Daily

You thought the Xtrail is still ugly?

This car is a Crossover Sports Utility Vehicle. The current model, 2008 model year onwards, has an option for a third row of seats. The new Xtrail is more stylish has alot to offer, from good space on the boot to carry some much more stuff from the village or from the shopping mall. It has an acceptable front legroom and an above average second row of seats save for the small headroom. The third row of seats is cramped. It has some good safety features, mostly derived from the all new Renault-Nissan Vehicle architecture which supports advanced systems around.
Upon arrival of the seven seater Xtrail, Nissan discontinued the production of the Qashqai+2, actually the new Xtrail and the current Qashqai models share a common basic architecture in a platform known as the Renault-Nissan Common Module Family.
Front wheel-drive is standard but those who opt for the diesel engine have an option for the 4WD that comes in any of these four trims; Visia, Acenta, n-tec and Tekna. Initially, the Xtrail had a 2.0 litre powerplant but newer models have a 2.0 litre dCi turbodiesel producing 171hp for the manual transmission and 148hp for the six speed auto. The 2014 Xtrail has a 1.6 litre dCi turbo diesel that produces 128hp and 320NM of torque. A 1.6 litre turbocharged petrol engine has also been added to the range in 2015.

The diesel Xtrail also has either auto or manual transmission. Older models had a five speed manual but the 2007 model onwards have a six speed manual gear box. Older models had a 4-speed auto but newer ones have a 6-speed present speeds in a system known as Xtronic CVT.

This car handles pretty well on the road for its class but don't be over-ambitious as this is no sports car, it was actually designed with the family in mind. It features the Active Trace Control,initially found in the Infiniti M, a driving aid that applys the brakes to individual wheels when cornering for better stability. It also has cruise-control, air-conditioning and bluetooth phone connectivity as standard; alloy wheels, six airbags, LED daytime running lights and hill assist among other smart features.

On safety, it scored the full five stars in its Euro NCAP crash tests.