DAR ES SALAAM: THE government has announced that it will not renew commuter bus licences on the Gerezani–Kivukoni–Mbagala (Kilwa Road) route in order to allow investor Mofat to continue operating Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services along the corridor, in line with their agreement.
The remarks were made over the weekend by the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament, Coordination and Persons with Disabilities), Dr Jim Yonazi, when he led a delegation of Permanent Secretaries on an inspection tour of BRT infrastructure in Dar es Salaam.
Dr Yonazi said commuter buses will be phased out gradually as their licences expire.
“On the coexistence of commuter buses and BRT services, the transition will be gradual. As commuter bus licences expire, their numbers along BRT corridors will progressively decline to allow the rapid transit system to operate more efficiently.
Operators will not be removed abruptly,” he said. He added that public transport operations in major cities are regulated by the government in collaboration with the private sector.
“Some private operators own commuter buses, and they will be properly guided to ensure that transport services in Dar es Salaam remain efficient,” Dr Yonazi said.
He noted that commuter bus operations have created many jobs and emphasised that proper organisation is needed to ensure the buses continue to complement transport services in an orderly manner.
Dr Yonazi stressed that the government has no intention of denying anyone business opportunities, but such opportunities must be well structured to align the city with international standards, make it more attractive and enable citizens to travel efficiently while participating in economic activities.
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Recently, Mofat Company, which provides BRT services along Kilwa Road, called for the removal of commuter buses from the route, citing financial losses since it began operations in October 2025.
The company attributes the losses to low passenger numbers, as many commuters continue to use conventional buses, motorcycle taxis and tricycles.
Speaking during the visit, Mofat Chief Executive Officer Mr Muhammad Kasim said the priority is to ensure that investments in the transport sector deliver value for both citizens and operators, noting that reforms must align with infrastructure capacity and market realities.
“As the BRT system expands and absorbs more passengers, the number of commuter buses will be reduced gradually, not abruptly. This is a systematic transition aimed at building a modern, efficient and sustainable urban transport system for Dar es Salaam,” Mr Kasim said.
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the DART Agency, Mr Said Tunda, said the agency expects to receive new buses from Emirates (TransDar) in the near future.
He explained that the buses will initially serve Phase One routes, while UDART will shift its operations to Phase Three, which extends to Gongo la Mboto.
“Once TANROADS completes road construction, it will hand over the infrastructure to DART for installation of fare collection systems. The key remaining requirement before launching services to Gongo la Mboto is completion of the depot construction, which is the heart of the BRT system,” Mr Tunda said.
Meanwhile, UDART Director Mr Pius Ng’ingo confirmed that preparations for operations along the Gongo la Mboto corridor are at an advanced stage.
“With the Gongo la Mboto route nearing completion, 100 out of the 200 buses have already arrived and are awaiting the official opening of the road. In addition, 50 buses currently operating on BRT Phase One (Kimara–Gerezani) will also be reassigned to this route,” he said.
The inspection tour brought together Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries of Transport, Works, Finance, PMO-RALG and the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, who also serves as the Government Chief Spokesperson, demonstrating a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to urban transport reforms.