Vehicle Maintenance Management Practices and Safety Performance of Long-Distance Bus Companies in Kenya

Road traffic crashes are among the major causes of preventable deaths in Kenya and public service vehicles (PSVs) make significant proportion of the serious crashes, especially long-distance buses. Vehicle inspection is a statutory obligation but the arrangements for vehicle maintenance vary between bus companies. This study aimed at establishing the relationship between the maintenance management practices and safety performance of the long-distance bus companies in Kenya. The study adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional, explanatory correlational design, based on the Systems Theory, Human Factors Theory and Safety Culture Theory. Structured questionnaires were used to gather information from the managers and drivers of licensed companies on the aforementioned corridors, 228 questionnaires were retrieved from the 325 questionnaires distributed (70.2%). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the data in SPSS 28. The overall mean rating for the maintenance was 3.01, which is considered moderate. Maintenance was significantly correlated with safety performance (r = .254, p < .001), and it remained a significant predictor when fleet management, driver management, and transport planning and scheduling were controlled (B = 0.206, β = .207, t = 3.425, p = .001, 95% CI [0.088, 0.325]). The model explained 20.9% of the variance in safety performance (adjusted R² = .195), F(4, 223) = 14.722, p < .001, and the null hypothesis was rejected. Companies which maintained schedule for preventative maintenance, had routine vehicle checks, maintained a vehicle maintenance record, and made use of accredited workshops, had better safety performance. Maintenance should hence be seen as a fundamental safety activity in an integrated safety management system and should be addressed by bus companies and the regulator. Keywords: Vehicle Maintenance Management; Preventive Maintenance; Safety Performance; Long-Distance Buses