Government considers countrywide replication of BRT infrastructure

Dar es Salaam. The President’s Office--Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG)--yesterday directed the countrywide replication of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) services to address the challenge of congestion in the country’s fast growing cities.

PO-RALG minister Innocent Bashungwa yesterday directed the docket’s Permanent Secretary, Prof Riziki Shemdoe, to start preparations for a draft of law for submission in Parliament for enactment.

Mr Bashungwa issued the directives during the Parliamentary Public Investments Committee (PIC) tour of the Dar es Salaam Rapid Bus Transport (Dart) agency to inspect its functions.

Speaking during the visit, PIC chairman Jerry Silaa pleaded with the government to see the possibility of replicating the project to the country’s administrative capital of Dodoma, which is now the fastest growing city.

He said the project’s feasibility study was conducted in 2004 when Dar es Salaam was considered a capital city, but the government’s relocation to Dodoma should subject the project for review.

“We need to see if the project can be replicated in the country’s administrative city of Dodoma. If the law is an obstacle, then bring it in Parliament for amendment,” he suggested.

Responding, Mr Bashungwa instructed the PO-RALG PS, Prof Shemdoe, to start procedures of amending the law.

Speaking about the project, Mr Silaa expressed the committee’s satisfaction with Dart revenue control measures through Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) that provides a follow up from the moment of ticketing and the general collections details hourly, daily, weekly and monthly.

“This is a good system as it doesn’t wait for the Control Auditor General (CAG’s) auditing. Everything is directly provided, even fraudulent attempts or intentions of funds diversions can be directly detected. Receive my congratulations,” said Mr Silaa.

The system is said to have improved revenue collections from Sh25 billion in 2020/21 to Sh36 billion in the 2021/22 Fiscal Year.

He directed Dart to consider extending to Chanika the implementation of the project’s third phase that stretches from the city centre to Gongolamboto as it has been done to the first and second phases that end in Kibaha and Mkuranga respectively.

“Dar es Salaam is a commercial city that should no longer be separated from Coast Region, therefore, the project should be extended,” he said.

Dart chief executive Edwin Mhede said the BRT project aims to ease city transport, adding the smart-card system failed due to challenges recorded in the execution of the contract between the two sides.

Dart has entered into a new fare collection agreement with AFCS, which is a generic term for ticketing system in public transport where the fare is no longer paid directly via ticket vending machines.

“The government, through President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has already acquired funds to enable the construction of phase 3, which will start soon,” he said.

Earlier, the government secured a Sh570. 6 billion ($248.1) loan for the execution of BRT Phase III and IV.

Phase III of the BRT project involves the construction of a 23.6km infrastructure project stretching from the Nyerere-Gongolamboto Road to City Centre and a section of the Uhuru Road from Tazara to Kariakoo-Gerezani.

The project’s Phase IV involves the construction of the 16.1km Bagamoyo -Sam Nujoma Road.

Earlier, it received $148.1 million for Phase III and $99.9 million for Phase IV.