Bunge unhappy with UDART, DART situation

DODOMA: THE National Assembly has directed the government to intervene in the ongoing dispute between the Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (UDART) and the Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (DART) Agency, stemming from the former’s failure to pay dividends to the latter.

Members of Parliament (MPs) issued the directive in a resolution following their deliberation on the 2024 Report, which was presented in the House by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Local Government Affairs, Justin Nyamoga (CCMKilolo).

UDART operates the rapid transit bus services in Dar es Salaam, while DART owns and maintains the infrastructure.

According to the legislators, DART has been performing adequately in fulfilling its responsibilities, including helping to alleviate the city’s transportation challenges.

The MPs pointed out that the agency has contributed funds to the government, with over 723.74m/- being deposited into the consolidated fund over the past four years.

The MPs argued that this contribution demonstrates the sustainability of DART’s operations.

However, they noted that DART faces a significant challenge in not receiving funds from UDART, creating a dispute between the two entities. The MPs said that in June 2024, the National Assembly passed the Finance Act, which gave DART the legal authority to carry out its duties.

The Act mandates that UDART allocate a portion of its revenue from fares to DART. Following the passage of the Act, UDART and DART entered into an agreement stipulating that UDART would collect revenue from fares before paying dividends to DART.

However, the MPs expressed concern that UDART’s failure to meet its financial obligations is hindering DART’s ability to effectively discharge its responsibilities.

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The MPs called on the government to facilitate a meeting between the two parties to resolve the issue.

In addition, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Investment raised concerns about the underutilisation of the infrastructure and the lack of efforts to attract investors to provide transport services on completed routes.

Presenting the 2024 Report, Committee Chair Augustine Hole said that DART was introduced to Dar es Salaam to address the city’s severe traffic congestion by offering a highquality, dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

The aim was to improve public transportation options and reduce dependence on private cars, especially given the city’s rapidly growing population, by providing a more efficient and reliable means of travel.

However, after analysing DART’s performance, the committee found that the agency’s productivity has been low.

According to Hole, the government has invested billions of shillings in three phases of the project, with the expectation of a good return.

In the first and second phases, the government spent a total of 847.03bn/-, while in the third phase, it invested 148.2 million US dollars (about 383.8bn/-)