Up-country busses set to adopt e-tickets

Dar es Salaam. The Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) said by the end of this month all up-country buses must be connected to the electronic ticketing system (e-tickets).  
To date, already 550 upcountry buses out of 7,502 that are licenced have started selling tickets online. The buses have been selling online tickets, which on average 5,000 to 7,000 tickets are sold  per day.
Speaking to journalists yesterday Latra director general Habibu Saluo said: “After the assessment session we held together with Tanzania Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Tanzania Bus Owners Association (Taboa, we have decided together that by the end of this month all buses must be connected to the system and issue tickets electronically.”
In addition, he said the Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) will continue  to be improved to ensure security of the travellers.
He said through the system, which will start in September, passengers will be able to trace the location of the busses they are waiting for, but it will begin with Dodoma and Dar es Salaam.
Mr Saluo said currently VTS has connected 7,502 buses and 36 locomotives out of which 10 of the Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) and 16 of the Tanzania and Zambia Railway Corporation (Tazara).
For his part, Latra director of Road Traffic Control Mr Johansen Kahatano said the VTS system has reduced accidents in recent years.
He said the increase in accidents from 978 in 2020 to 1,235 in 2021, was caused by the court suspending the management of the system while the primary case opened by the national drivers association was being heard.
“After the primary case was decided in December last year and gave victory to Latra, we will continue with the management of the system,” he said.
Meanwhile, the director of Rail Transport Control, Mr Hanya Mbawala, said the tests of the modern Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) railway are expected to start this way, so that no one should be near the railway.