Moshi/Dodoma. Transport continued to be a problem for the fifth day yesterday at Moshi Town’s Main Bus Stand.
Students fail to return to school and employees are unable to return to their work stations after a long holiday.
Although the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra) issued temporary permits for operators of minibuses to carry travellers to their destinations, the situation has not improved.
A team of The Citizen yesterday witnessed commuter buses plying between Mbagala and Gongo la Mboto in Dar es Salaam to carry passengers from the Moshi Bus Stand, but the demand for transport outpaced supply.
In Dodoma, some travellers were stranded at the main bus terminal. Some were forced to board private vehicles as they seek to return to Dar es Salaam before Monday.
Speaking on different occasions at the bus stand, students, who were returning to Dar es Salaam after Christmas and New Year celebrations, said they were overcharged.
Jessica Kimario, who studies at Makongo Secondary School in Dar es Salaam, told The Citizen that she arrived at the bus stand at 6am, but she never got transport because all the buses were full of passengers.
“I have been at the bus stand for a couple of hours after being brought by my uncle, but transport is chaotic. When buses come we are told they are full and fares have risen from Sh28,500 to between Sh35,000 and Sh40,000.
“However, I’m still waiting to see whether I can get transport, because we are opening the school on Monday,” she said.
Jonas Kavishe, who was to travel to Dar es Salaam, said he arrived at the bus stand at 5am, but when buses arrived he was told they were full and that he should wait until January 10 when he could get transport.
“I don’t know what is going on here at the bus stand as I came here in the day break so I could travel back to work, but surprisingly I was told the buses were full until January 10 when I would be able to travel to Dar es Salaam,” said Kavishe.
Even travellers from Moshi Town to Arusha had problems as buses abruptly changed the route to Dar es Salaam.
Onesmo Laanyuni, who was to travel to Arusha from Moshi Town, told The Citizen yesterday that it was hard for him and other travellers to get transport because Arusha-bound buses changed their route.
They were forced to use commuter buses to Arusha.
Sumatra’s senior official for Kilimanjaro Region, Johns Makwale, said the transport problem was temporary.
He said 10 minibuses had been permitted to ferry passengers from Kilimanjaro Moshi to Dar es Salaam.
