Dar es Salaam. If there is one issue that continues to trouble city residents, it is the overwhelming daily demand for reliable public transport.
Yet what surprises many even more is the state of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, once touted as the ultimate answer to chronic congestion. Launched in 2016 as a cure for the city’s transport challenges, the BRT has instead evolved into a business with a huge customer base but fragile operations.
Rather than realising the vision of transforming public transport, it has become one of the most criticised projects, leaving citizens with more questions than answers. A shortage of buses has led to endless queues at stations, forcing passengers to crowd into overloaded buses, sometimes even clinging dangerously to windows.
Viral videos and images have shown commuters perched precariously on window frames after failing to find space inside, a stark symbol of the crisis. Frustrations have spilled into unrest.
On October 1, 2025, residents hurled stones at two buses and several stations, smashing windows. Police confirmed three suspects were arrested in connection with the incidents.
For both analysts and ordinary citizens, the situation raises tough questions: Has this multibillion-shilling project failed to meet its purpose? What is the real solution to Dar es Salaam’s transport crisis? Even the ticketing system remains unresolved. The promise at launch When it was launched in 2016, then-Director of the Dar Rapid Transit Agency (Dart), Mr Ronald Rwakatare, said services began with 104 buses, far short of the 305 initially planned.
Dart explained that the decision to start despite the shortfall was to protect the dedicated lanes, already encroached upon by motorcycle taxis (bodaboda). Although the project started on shaky ground, at least the buses filled the lanes and raised hopes of a transformed system.
But today, the situation is different. Residents wonder how many buses remain operational and why the fleet is shrinking instead of growing.
The irony is clear: passenger numbers keep rising while bus numbers dwindle, with no solution in sight. The unresolved e-ticketing saga Initially, MaxMalipo introduced electronic ticketing.
Later, the system was withdrawn, then reinstated in another form, still riddled with glitches. Sometimes it crashes, sometimes tickets fail to scan, and at other times passengers pay cash and get paper slips.
This raises further questions: Is the issue technological, managerial, or linked to vested interests? From Simon Group’s Udart to state control At first, Udart was run by businessman Robert Kisena, who imported the initial fleet. But disputes erupted, drawing in criminal justice agencies.
Mr Kisena was jailed, and the government assumed control. What exactly triggered the transition? Was it failings in private management, or did the state feel compelled to intervene? Tangible achievements, or unmet promises? Another central question is what results the project has actually delivered.
Has the fleet expanded with passenger growth, or have pledges outweighed action? If commuters must wait hours for buses out of hundreds once promised, can the project be judged a success? Frequent leadership changes Over nine years, the project has seen a revolving door of leaders, including Mr Rwakatare, Dr Edwin Mhede, Dr Athuman Kihamia, and now Mr Said Tunda. Udart, too, has cycled through bosses.
This turnover prompts a tough question: is the problem rooted in individuals, or in the system itself? Endless promises of new buses Repeated pledges of new fleets have often gone unfulfilled. For example, 72 units were left idle at the port for years, while other promised buses never materialised.
Were these failures due to weak planning or conflicting interests? Borrowing Mofart buses, solution or stopgap? On October 2, 2025, buses from the second phase, owned by Mofart Company, were diverted to Morogoro Road. The move sought to ease public anger ahead of the delayed launch of Kilwa Road services.
But is this a lasting solution, or just temporary relief? What experts say? Economist Oscar Mkude told The Citizen’s sister newspaper Mwananchi that shifting buses between routes is not a genuine solution but only a short-term fix. “We must return to the core vision: securing an investor with the capacity to supply enough buses.
The crisis exists because no new buses have been added since inception,” said Mr Mkude over the phone. He questioned how long the borrowed buses would serve Kimara and what fleet would be provided for Mbagala.
Mr Mkude recalled that Udart was meant to manage the project temporarily, pending an investor, but later continued without adding buses, relying on government purchases, marking the beginning of the decline. Another analyst, Dr Paul Loisulie of the University of Dodoma (UDOM), argued that politics must be separated from technical management.
“If politicians have a hand in this project, they must step aside. We must identify whether barriers are contractual or structural and remove them to ensure accountability,” he said.
Dr Loisulie added it was absurd to mismanage a project with such high demand, stressing that accountability was key to sustainability. Former Lands Minister Prof Anna Tibaijuka also weighed in on X, questioning how a once promising project had become a burden.
“BRT, the Dar Rapid Transit project? How did it become a nuisance instead of liberation? Public transport is not profit-making but a service,” she wrote. The urban planning expert added: “In Europe, governments subsidise such projects, while in Asia, operators recoup costs through real estate near stations.
Leaving it to survive on an ‘investor’ basis is unrealistic. We must revisit its foundations.
” Prime Minister steps in Amid growing concerns, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa toured the project and issued directives. He ordered that the number of buses must never be reduced on any route at any time, regardless of passenger numbers.
“Even with only four passengers, the bus must depart. No suspending services during off-peak hours.
Buses must operate continuously,” Majaliwa said while inspecting new buses on the KivukoniKimara route. Speaking to commuters, he announced the government had added 60 new buses from October 2, 2025. “This brings the fleet to 90, which will end the challenges we have faced,” he said.
He noted that as of that morning, only 30 old buses were operational. “Initially, this corridor had 140 buses, but today only 30 (blue ones) remain,” explained Mr Majaliwa.
Earlier, outgoing Udart director Waziri Kindamba, before his dismissal, had said many buses were grounded after their service lifespan expired. The fleet required major overhauls or replacement, neither of which had happened.
He added that between 60 and 70 buses had also been damaged by floods, with poor repairs compounding the problem. Low fares compared with market rates further deepened the company’s woes.
Samia reshuffles leadership A statement issued on Thursday, October 2, 2025, by Chief Secretary Dr Moses Kusiluka said President Samia Suluhu Hassan had appointed Mr Said Tunda as Chief Executive Officer of Dart, replacing Dr Athuman Kihamia. She also named Mr Pius Ng’ingo as Managing Director of Udart, replacing Mr Waziri Kindamba, whose appointment was revoked.
In addition, she appointed Mr David Kafulila as chairman of Dart’s Advisory Board and Dr Ramadhan Dau as chairman of Udart’s Board. Prime Minister Majaliwa welcomed the changes, saying he expected the new leadership to implement reforms, including full adoption of electronic fare collection to curb revenue leakages by dishonest staff.
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