Mombasa County lies on the coast of Kenya and is the main gateway to landlocked countries in East and Central Africa via the Northern Corridor. The city is experiencing serious congestion due to increasing private car ownership and a lack of adequate public transport. Population growth and sprawl are contributing to an increasing challenge of providing well-organised, high-quality public transport.Several major road corridors in Mombasa, including the A109 corridor, Magongo Rd, Nyali Bridge, and Mtwapa Road, are currently under expansion or are slated for improvements in the near future.

There is an urgent need to ensure that the designs for these corridors include high-quality walking and cycling elements and also facilitate the operations of efficient public transport, including bus rapid transit (BRT). BRT is a high-quality bus-based public transport system that delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-effective services at metro-level capacities. Inclusion of dedicated lanes for BRT can significantly expand the passenger carrying capacity of major streets in Mombasa. Ongoing projects should consider the requirements of public transport services so as to avoid the need for costly infrastructure modifications in the future.

To develop a better understanding of mobility patterns in Mombasa, the Department of Transport, Infrastructure, and Public Works, Mombasa County Government (MCG), commissioned the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to prepare a service plan for a potential BRT network Mombasa. When developing a high-quality BRT, many components must be planned in an integrated manner. A key element of this process is a service plan that identifies the most efficient way to deploy the bus fleet to serve passenger demand. The operational parameters determined through the service plan help define the infrastructure elements and required bus fleet needed. This report describes the service plan for the Mombasa and the implications for the design of road infrastructure projects in the city.