Commuters oppose chaos as BRT services resume

DAR ES SALAAM: BUS Rapid Transit (BRT) services have resumed across Dar es Salaam, bringing major relief to thousands of commuters who had endured weeks of severe disruption, inflated transport costs and logistical chaos following the suspension of operations.

The Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART) restored full services along the Morogoro Road corridor; from Kimara to Gerezani–Kivukoni and Morocco, early this week, acting on a directive issued by Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba for an immediate reinstatement of all halted routes.

According to DART Managing Director, Said Tunda, engineers worked “day and night” to repair the vandalised fare collection systems and return services to normal within the 10-day deadline set by the Prime Minister.

Trial operations began in the early hours of Wednesday after successful restoration of the damaged electronic payment infrastructure.

Residents interviewed at various stations expressed overwhelming relief and urged Tanzanians to safeguard public assets, warning that the destruction witnessed last month had punished ordinary citizens far more than policymakers or political instigators.

Many said the return of BRT operations had restored order, predictability and affordability to daily travel, conditions that had collapsed during the suspension.

For countless commuters, the BRT shutdown triggered a transport crisis.

With buses grounded, travellers were forced into expensive and unreliable alternatives, including motorcycle taxis, whose fares surged sharply due to high demand.

Stanslaus Lubogo, a resident of Mbezi Louis who works at Posta Mpya, said the suspension nearly doubled his daily transport expenses.

“When the BRT services were suspended, it affected us in a very big way. I spent more than 5,000/- on a single trip to work, and by evening the fare had gone even higher. Some days I paid up to 15,000/- just on transport,” he said.

“Before the suspension, I paid only 1,000/- per trip. For ordinary citizens, the difference was overwhelming.”

Other travellers echoed the sentiment. Shariffa Masenga said she was delighted to see buses back on the road after weeks of hardship.

“Fares had risen to between 4,000/- and 5,000/-. Now we are back to paying 1,000/- per trip. It is a huge relief,” she said.

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Commuters urged the public to reject anyone who incites violence or vandalism, saying the cost of destruction is ultimately borne by citizens.

“We truly suffered during that period,” said Salma Mohammed.

“We should never again burn stations or damage infrastructure. The money used to repair the damage could have gone to other development projects. I plead with my fellow citizens: Let us stop being destructive.”

Another commuter, Salome Bernard, said the chaos at Kimara had been unbearable.

“Buses coming from Mbezi were always full, and getting a ride was exhausting. Nobody should destroy a system they depend on. Vandalism brings nothing but suffering to ordinary people,” she said.

Alfred Likomwa expressed gratitude to the government, particularly President Samia Suluhu Hassan, for the swift intervention.

“The lack of BRT buses caused a lot of suffering. We thank the government for repairing the infrastructure and restoring services. My plea is for residents to be custodians of our infrastructure so this never happens again,” he said.

DART confirmed that the October unrest severely damaged the agency’s fare payment systems, forcing the suspension of services.

Officials said comprehensive repairs were carried out to ensure a full return to uninterrupted operations.

In a related development, travellers have been asked to obtain BRT fare smart cards sold at 1000/- each for smooth payment of transport fees as DART goes cashless. The smart cards are available at BRT terminals.