Dar es Salaam in a new move to reduce carbon emissions

DAR ES SALAAM city is reaching a new milestone towards steps of greening it through public transport sector with the introduction of electric tricycles for passengers.

This is a very important step when climate changes and global warming are alarming our mother planet, calling for intensified efforts to reverse stubborn human activity.

The project, which will link with the Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART) infrastructure, is expected to have numerous benefits, including reducing carbon emissions among city commuters and reducing running costs for travellers, as the tricycles will be 100 per cent dependent on electricity.

According to Ms Jacqueline Senyangwa, a project coordinator from Solution Plus Projects, the initiative aims to demonstrate and test different types of innovative and integrated e-mobility solutions for different cities through the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI).

The project is in partnership with DART and other stakeholders and will initially introduce 20 tricycles as part of e-mobility for transporting passengers to the first and last mile using environmentally friendly tricycles.

Such electric-powered tricycles are anticipated to benefit both operators and passengers in various ways, while minimising carbon emissions that have negative consequences for the environment.

By using electrical tricycles, operators will have lower running costs and hence get more profits, while passengers will be relieved of noise pollution and inhaling fuel-contaminated oxygen.

DART Chief Executive (CE), Dr Edwin Mhede welcomed the initiative, noting that Tanzania has policies that support the transition to low-carbon mobility. The country has a National Climate Change Strategy that aims to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors of the economy, including transportation. The strategy recognises the importance of sustainable transportation options in mitigating the impact of climate change.

Dr Mhede Also highlighted that the DART Agency, has been playing a significant role in promoting sustainable transportation options in Tanzania. The agency supervises buses that traverse about 26km distance a day and ferry about 200,000 passengers.

The DART buses are part of a low carbon transport option that uses buses that plans in future to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and in the future include electric buses. These buses will part of endless efforts to significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional fossil fuel-powered buses.

In addition to the DART agency initiatives, Tanzania has policies that support the transition to low carbon mobility. The country has a National Climate Change Strategy that aims to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors of the economy, including transportation. The strategy recognizes the importance of sustainable transportation options in mitigating the impact of climate change.

In addition to the BRT system, which has evidently reduced travel time to and from the city centre, Tanzania plans to develop a National Electric Mobility Strategy that aims to increase the use of electric vehicles in the country. The strategy promotes the use of electric vehicles in public transportation and encourages the development of charging infrastructure.

However, there are some setbacks to introducing electric automobiles in the country, including a lack of clear legislation to recognize such new ignition mechanisms. Vehicles are registered per cubic capacity (CC), which makes it difficult to register electric battery-powered vehicles, leading to challenges in accessing other services like insurance coverage and other traffic needs.

Despite these challenges, eMo Mobility Company Advisor John Morro noted that the company has so far sold about 100 electric-powered motorcycles, with one motorcycle reducing about 7.8 tons of carbon monoxide emissions per year while the operator saves up to 50,000/- overheads per month.

This means Tanzania will be on the right trajectory on attaining Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 aims to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact”, while acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.

Apart from electricity, Dar es Salaam city has centers for converting private and public automobiles to using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in transportation activities. Going in line with increased CNG fueling stations, it is evident that Tanzania is at the forefront when it comes to putting in place measures of introducing greener cities and reducing carbon monoxide emissions.

In conclusion, the introduction of electric tricycles for passenger transport in Dar es Salaam is a commendable initiative towards achieving sustainable transportation in the city. The move not only reduces carbon emissions but also has economic benefits for both operators and passengers.

Tanzania’s National Electric Mobility Strategy also provides a roadmap for transitioning to low-carbon mobility in the country, which is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to climate action and sustainable cities and communities.