Transporters temporarily halt services heading to the elections

DAR ES SALAAM: SEVERAL land and marine transport companies have announced a temporary suspension of their services from today, October 28, to October 29, to give room for the voting exercise as the General Elections take place countrywide tomorrow.

The affected bus companies are those operating upcountry routes from Dar es Salaam to Arusha, Bukoba, Karagwe, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Mpanda, Tabora, and Tarime.

The Tanzania Bus Owners Association (TABOA) explained that the suspension is due to security reasons and to give Tanzanians an opportunity to participate in the voting process fully.

ALSO READ: AU observers land in Dar to oversee democratic, transparent elections

TABOA spokesperson Mustapha Mwalongo clarified that the decision does not represent the association’s official position but rather involves a few companies that have chosen not to operate on election day.

“It is true that some companies have decided to suspend their trips, especially tomorrow, October 29, the voting day. Some companies are concerned that there will be few passengers, so they decided to halt operations,” he said.