Bus owners laud ‘profound impact’ of 24-hour operations

Dar es Salaam. Long-distance bus operators have outlined benefits and “profound impact” of 24-hour operations since they were restored about six months ago.

Tanzania lifted its 32-year ban on night-time bus operations via an announcement by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa in Parliament last June and buses began operating around the clock in October.

The decision has helped to reduce “dangerous” competition among transport companies, according to bus owners.

It also offers passengers the flexibility to select travel times based on their schedules and activities.

Transporters have, however, asked that police pay attention to other road users, particularly lorry drivers by compelling lorry owners to install vehicle tracking systems (VTS) to curb accidents.

The Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) said the decision to lift the ban is having the desired impact.

“Our evaluation shows that night bus travel has received a positive response from transporters and is being enjoyed by travellers. It has also promoted economic and social activities,” Latra director general Habibu Suluo told The Citizen.

The lifting of the ban on night bus operations has drastically reduced congestion at bus terminals, where buses were previously allowed to depart from 6am.

It has also reduced accommodation costs among travellers as well as cut the cost associated with commuting to bus terminals.

“Our stakeholders, especially bus owners and travellers, have confirmed that there are much more benefits compared to shortcomings. It’s now possible for businesspeople to drastically shorten their business trips. As such, instead of paying accommodation costs for three days, they can now do so for only a day,” Mr Suluo said, adding that Latra has so far issued permits to 798 buses to operate around the clock.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania Bus Owners Association (Taboa) has called upon transporters and relevant government agencies to fulfil their responsibilities effectively, saying night operations were having a positive impact on the economy as businesspeople are now able to arrive at their destinations on time.

“In fact, we were late to start,” said Taboa secretary-general Priscus Joseph.

He added that Tanzania was late in taking advantage of the opportunity, unlike other East African countries.

“Also, the transport crisis that was synonymous with the end-of-the-year holidays was largely resolved last year as a result of buses being allowed to operate around the clock.”

BM Coach co-director Baldwin Makundi said night operations have eliminated unproductive competition and provided owners with numerous options as travellers who miss morning trips can now be served in the evening.

He added that the success of the decision is contributing to the overall growth of the transportation sector and playing a key role in boosting economic growth as travellers can now chose to travel at the time of their convenience.

However, Mr Makundi highlighted several challenges that need to be addressed to further strengthen the sector, particularly with regard safety.

He emphasised that security organs have been paying attention to passenger buses to address challenges related to speeding and alcohol use and forgetting other road users, particularly lorry drivers.

 “I can say 75 percent of bus accidents are caused by the carelessness of lorry drivers because they usually drive at 120 kilometres per hour and they are prone to falling asleep while driving. The authorities should consider vehicle tracking systems (VTS) for lorries to enhance road safety,” he said.

Society of Fighting for Rights of Passengers in Tanzania (Shikuhata) executive director Ambakisye Mwakifwange said night trips often pose many challenges for passengers as accidents continue to occur the reason behind poor road infrastructure and incompetence of the drivers.

“We see the government has rushed to allow these night trips in because there are several challenges, the training given to drivers is short-term, we suggested at least six months or a year so that the driver can gain experience, otherwise we will continue to see several accidents occurring,” he said.

A traveller, Mr Alex Rwegasha, said, “I work in Arusha, I often go back to Dar es Salaam to greet my family, these trips have helped me because I go and back to work without anyone knowing if I travelled, the buses are modern and luxury, we ask businessmen to invest in places to get food services to be more.”

Mr Rwegasha added that the police force has made a great effort to put up many barriers on the road to ensure the safety of the buses which helps to reduce accidents, it should be noted in the beginning, that the drivers overspeed which caused accidents.

A driver operating on the Dar es Salaam-Singida route, Mr Ramadhan Seif, said many travellers, especially businesspeople, currently prefer night trips because they reduce accommodation costs.

“They travel at night which means that they sleep in the bus until they arrive,” he said.