Kenya Airways has halted a bus service between the Nairobi city centre and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport just a month after announcing its launch.

KQ unveiled plans to ferry its passengers to and from JKIA at a cost of $10 in August. A few weeks into the scheme, they reduced the price to $5.

KQ corporate communications manager Wanjiku Mugo told The EastAfrican that the airline has decided to put the bus service on hold “as we explore other ideas and plan to revisit the idea at a later date.”

Aviation analyst Michael Otieno said the service would have succeeded if it were complimentary because there are many other ways to travel to and from JKIA.

“This move by KQ was not well thought out. They could have simply entered into a revenue sharing agreement with any of the existing or new taxi companies to offer 24hr taxi service to JKIA,” said Mr Otieno.

Fare estimate

A random fare estimate on Uber shows that a trip from the CBD to JKIA costs between $8 and $10. Other taxis charge between $15 and $20 whereas public service buses charge $1.

With taxis, the passengers could carry more luggage and people at the same cost, while the KQ buses were only allowing one passenger and two pieces of luggage.

When introducing the buses, KQ said they were meant to offer comfort and reliability.

Kenya Airways announced a record net loss of Ksh26.2 billion ($259 million) in the year ended March, widening the Ksh25.7 billion ($254 million) net loss posted the year before.

The carrier, which is partly owned by Air France KLM, has been reducing its fleet, selling land and cutting jobs to recover from losses caused by a slump in tourism and the cost of renewing its fleet.