DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA continues to make notable strides in strengthening the regulation of land transport services, while exploring innovative and cost effective solutions aimed at driving economic growth, enhancing regional trade and improving public safety.
The Director General of the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA), Mr Habib Saluo, made the revelation in Dar es Salaam yesterday, as he outlined the Authority’s achievements over the past four years under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Mr Saluo reaffirmed LATRA’s commitment to improving the safety, accessibility and efficiency of land transport services, including passenger, cargo and private hire vehicles.
He stressed the importance of road and railway transport in stimulating economic development and facilitating trade within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC).
Highlighting emerging opportunities, Mr Saluo said LATRA was assessing the potential for cable transport systems to support tourism.
Key tourist attractions suitable for such infrastructure have been identified in eight regions: Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Dar es Salaam, Coast, Morogoro, Iringa and Mbeya.
He added that LATRA, in collaboration with the Office of Treasury Registrar (OTR) and the Ministry of Transport, is working to establish a dedicated Cable Transport Regulatory Unit to oversee this new sector.
On railway regulation, Mr Saluo said that from February 2021 to March 2025, LATRA conducted 275 inspections covering infrastructure, signalling and communication systems, rolling stock (locomotives and carriages) and operational standards. Of these, 143 inspections were conducted on Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) and 132 on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA).
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Regarding the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), LATRA verified the quality of rolling stock before deployment, inspecting 17 locomotives, 56 passenger carriages, 10 Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) and 264 freight wagons during manufacturing.
Mr Saluo said over the fouryear period, transportation licences for passenger, goods and private hire vehicles increased by 48 per cent, from 226,201 in February 2021 to 334,859 in March 2025—an average annual growth rate of 12 per cent.
He also said that LATRA has expanded public transport networks in major cities, notably introducing 1,007 new bus routes in Dar es Salaam to improve accessibility and reduce transport costs for residents.
According to the LATRA Director General, in the past four years, the Authority has registered and certified 33,778 drivers as of March this year.
Of these, 8,172 are integrated into the Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), while 4,563 drivers passed certification exams out of 9,191 candidates-a pass rate of 49.65 per cent.
LATRA has also lifted the night travel ban for passenger buses under strict monitoring protocols. By March 31, 2025, a total of 2,323 buses were operating around the clock.
These improvements were supported by enhanced licensing oversight, vehicle inspections, driver identification using i-buttons and expanded use of the VTS, which now tracks 11,826 vehicles.
In partnership with other stakeholders, LATRA has implemented an integrated electronic ticketing system (CeTS).
From August 2024 to March this year, the system recorded over 13.4 million transactions—averaging 58,137 daily or about 1.74 million per month.
Looking ahead, Mr Saluo said LATRA plans to install surveillance cameras on passenger and school buses to enhance safety and strengthen transport monitoring nationwide
