Dar es Salaam. The country’s upcountry bus sector is experiencing a sharp slowdown following the recent election-related chaos, with dwindling passenger numbers forcing operators to scale down services and threatening the financial stability of the industry.
Shabiby Bus Company manager, Mr Edward Magawa, told The Citizen that the company has been compelled to reduce the frequency of its services due to a significant decline in passengers.
“For instance, during the morning service, we used to deploy eight buses, but we now send only four. At night, we previously deployed six buses, but we are currently down to three,” he said.
He said that routes such as Dar es Salaam–Dodoma, Mwanza, Arusha and Songea have recorded particularly low passenger turnout.
“While the flow of passengers on these routes remains low, we have not reduced the number of buses.
On many routes, we sometimes carry only 25 passengers in a bus with a capacity of over 50,” he noted.
According to Mr Magawa, maintaining bus operations under such conditions has become costly, as revenue fails to meet expenses such as fuel, terminal fees, staff allowances and maintenance.
“At this point, operating feels more like providing a public service than running a business because we are not making any returns. If the situation persists, it will be difficult to service our loans on time,” he said.
He also called on the authorities to reassure the public about safety, saying many passengers appear hesitant to travel due to fear.
“It would be better if relevant institutions issued an official statement on safety for both operators and passengers, so that people can regain confidence and resume travelling,” he added.
Similarly, the manager of Happy Nation Company, Mr Mfaume Mfaume, described the current situation as a “low season”, saying companies are continuing to operate even with empty seats in order to maintain customer trust and follow timetables.
The Director General of the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra), Mr Habibu Suluo, said that while passenger numbers initially fell after the election, they have started to recover.
“Up until Monday this week (November 10), the number of passengers travelling upcountry stood at 62,313. When operations resumed on November 5, the system recorded around 34,000 passengers, compared to an average of 85,000 per day before,” he said.
Tanzania Bus Owners Association (Taboa) secretary, Mr Joseph Priscus, said the recovery remains slow, with buses operating at around 30 to 40 percent capacity—equivalent to about 20 to 25 passengers per trip.
“At this rate, many operators are struggling to cover basic costs, especially fuel,” he said, adding that there is optimism that business will gradually stabilise as the situation normalises.
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