Bus e-ticketing takes off after suspension

Dar es Salaam. The three month interim period of e-ticketing for upcountry buses kicks off today as passengers need to understand key issues to avoid inconveniences.

They include a wide range of stakeholders dealing with provision of the service other than the platform, such as banks, mobile money transfer services, cancellation of trips, boarding stations and how other grievances would be addressed.

The transformation aims at improving transportation, cutting revenue loss, increasing transporters credibility before financial institutions, reducing inconveniences from dealers and arbitrary hike in transport fare.

Also, the system would enable stakeholders including the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra), the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA); the ministry responsible for transport, Tanzania Bus Operators Association (Taboa), the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) and the National Internet Data Center (NIDC) to access similar data from the platform.

This week, the NIDC project manager, Mr Gerald Katawanya, told editors that apart from the platforms, passengers could procure their tickets through NMB and CRDB banks that have over 20,000 agents countrywide.

“E-tickets could also be accessed at different bus stations and through mobile money service providers who would later send through text messages and emails,” he said.

He said the interim period would be used to address other challenges after issues of floats, 0.5 percent and 0.1 percent payable to Latra and NIDC had been respectively addressed.

“There is nothing new that will thrive without challenges. The same happened to the water billing, electricity prepaid systems, aviation and the same should be expected to the transportation sector,” he said.

He called on bus owners to ensure the newly imported buses and those whose licences are reviewed are connected to the platform, otherwise they will not be allowed to operate.

Mr Katawanya said tickets will be produced immediately after monies have been deducted from customers, noting that passengers without smartphones or with batteries that have gone dry would be assisted by service providers provided they share ticketing information.

Issues of refund to passengers who have cancelled trips as well as the choice of boarding points have been taken care, according to him.

During the training, the TRA deputy commissioner for domestic revenue, Mr Swalehe Byarugabe said no service provider would be penalised during the interim period for not complying.

Latra director for road transport regulations, Mr Johnseen Kahatani said the platform will have 30,000 dealers in the platform.

The Tanzania Bus Owners Association (Taboa) chairman, Mr Abdallah Mohamed said by addressing the issue of float condition from service providers, they were confident of smooth operations this time.