DAR ES SALAAM: THE UDA Rapid Transit Public Limited Company (UDART) has announced plans to receive 100 gas-powered buses before the end of this financial year.
This decision comes as many of the currently operating buses are aging and need to be replaced.
UDART’s Managing Director, Waziri Kindamba, shared this update through a message posted on the Office of the President, Regional Administration, and Local Government (TAMISEMI) page. He stated that the new buses are being manufactured in China.
“In April 2025, we will receive the first trial bus, but we also expect that the remaining 99 buses will arrive before the 2024/2025 government financial year ends,” Kindamba said.
He explained why the existing buses have deteriorated within nine to ten years, saying, “These buses operate seven days a week, almost 24 hours a day, as they start running at 4:00 AM and continue until midnight.”
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Kindamba added, “Since these buses are always in operation ‘day in, day out,’ some of them naturally develop occasional issues. As the new management, we have decided to introduce new buses utilizing compressed gas technology.”
It is worth noting that in December last year, the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Albert Chalamila, stated that the government was in the process of purchasing 100 buses. He also mentioned that the government has invested over 300bn/- in the construction of Dar es Salaam’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) infrastructure.
Chalamila emphasized the need to increase the number of rapid transit buses to meet demand. He cited examples such as the Kimara and Mbagala projects, which require over 770 buses to adequately serve commuters in those areas.
He further explained that roads constructed by the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) with government and donor funding are handed over to the Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART) once completed. DART then contracts a service provider, UDA Rapid Transit Public Limited Company (UDART), to manage the projects and provide transportation services to the public.
