Latra extends deadline for inspection of drivers’ licence

Dar es Salaam. The Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) has extended for three months verification and registration of bus drivers.

The extension intends to allow a more drivers to get connected with the app using their mobile numbers and National Identification Number (NIDA).

It is believed the move will help reduce accidents and tampering with Vehicles Tracking System (VTS).

The deadline for registration of bus drivers was set for April 1, 2023 but Latra has extended the deadline due to various challenges, including the small number of drivers who showed up for the verification process and license inspection.

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Ramadhan Ng'anzi said on Sunday that until April 30, out of 2 million bus and truck drivers, a total of 20,944 had been verified and registered.

“We have more than two million bus and truck drivers, unfortunately the number of those who have their license inspected and verified is less than two percent,” he said.

He explained that some 17,726 driving licenses have been found to qualify while 3,214 others have been cancelled for not qualifying for grades C and E.

Latra director of road transport, Johansen Kahatano said they decided to extend the verification process to July 31, 2023 due to various challenges that emerged.

Explaining on need for driving schools to register their business, drivers and attendants, Mr Kahatano said that of the 279 schools and colleges that were verified, only 133 qualified to offer the services while 161 were cancelled for not meeting the teaching criteria and lack of qualifications.

“We have closed schools because some of them do not have classrooms, instead they have been providing training in backyard offices while others do not adhere to curriculum and while the rest have cars which are in bad condition,” he said.

Mr Kahatano stressed that the move was not to stop them from working, but to make them understand that driving need to be considered as a professional job.

Tanzania Drivers Association (TDF) general secretary, Mr Jackson Ruhahas said Tanzania has more than four million licenses thus it was not easy to verify the licenses in a month.

According to him, the operation and systems of Latra and police do not work effectively and also inspectors were few to handle the verification process.