Dar es Salaam. A total of 49 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses that recently arrived in the country have begun offloading at the port, with expectations that they will start operating later this month.
The Public Relations Officer of the Dar Rapid Transit Agency (Udart), Gabriel Katanga, said this on Friday, January 9, 2026, while speaking to Mwananchi about the progress of receiving the buses.
Earlier this week, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government – Tamisemi), Riziki Shemdoe, while inspecting the rehabilitation of damaged buses, also spoke about the arrival of new units.
Ms Shemdoe said the government had allocated Sh20 billion for the purchase of 100 buses and directed Udart to ensure they are cleared quickly from the port and stored at an alternative site to avoid rising storage charges.
Mr Katanga said the offloading of the buses from the vessel was completed on January 8.
He said the buses already in the country are part of the 99 units expected in the first phase, aimed at improving transport services along the Kimara corridor under the BRT Phase One (BRT-1), which began operations in 2016.
The project, which was designed to operate with 305 buses, currently has only about 40 in service after many broke down.
The decline was attributed to prolonged operation without proper maintenance and overloading of passengers.
As a result, commuters have repeatedly raised concerns over poor services, including long waiting times at bus stops.
In response, the government announced the addition of 60 buses from the Mbagala route operated by Mofat Company.
The decision was announced by former Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on October 2, 2025, during an inspection tour of BRT services from Kivukoni to Kimara in Dar es Salaam.
Mr Majaliwa said the government decided to deploy 60 additional buses to supplement the 30 that were operational at the time in order to address the shortage.
“We have decided to bring in 60 buses from Mofat to operate on this corridor, and they have started providing services today (October 2). Our goal is to ease the transport challenge on this route,” he said.
Speaking to Mwananchi on January 9, Mr Katanga said another 50 buses are expected to arrive on January 15, bringing the total number of new buses to 100. One prototype bus has already arrived and is in operation.
“Before the challenges emerged, we had about 140 buses. Many later broke down due to prolonged use without maintenance, flooding in the Jangwani area, and some were set on fire during the election-related unrest on October 29, 2025, leaving only 40 buses in operation,” he said.
He added that the arrival of the new buses will significantly improve transport services along the Kimara corridor, where commuters have complained for a long time.
Mr Katanga also said the government has already released Sh1.2 billion for the rehabilitation of 30 buses, with 20 already repaired and ready to resume service.
“We are confident that commuters will enjoy improved services,” he said, thanking the public for their patience and urging them to take care of the buses.
A Kimara resident, Raphael Chirwa, said Udart should also ensure proper maintenance of the buses since they were purchased using taxpayers’ money.
“There is a tendency among some workers to neglect government projects, which leads to poor handling of public assets,” he said.
Meanwhile, Neema Dawson, a resident of Mbezi, said promises of improved services must be matched with action.
“Even if 500 more buses are added, it will not help unless there is commitment, accountability and proper management,” she said.
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