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Magufuli Terminal faces uncertainty as Morogoro road thrives with bus stations
What you need to know:
- The Magufuli Bus Terminal's fate is unknown, and although some support for expansion, others doubt its significance in the changing transportation sector.
Dar es Salaam. The Tanzanian main commercial city, Dar es Salaam’s Morogoro Road, once a mere artery of transportation, has now evolved into a thriving ecosystem of bus stations, bustling with activity at every turn.
As dawn paints the city gold, Morogoro Road awakens. From Magomeni to Ubungo, a relentless flow of buses and passengers fills every inch of pavement.
Gone are the days when departure times were confined to the witching hour; now, the road buzzes with activity around the clock.
For travellers embarking on journeys near and far, Morogoro Road is both a starting point and a destination, with the main stations of main bus companies such as Abood, Happy Nation, Ally’s Star, BM, New Force, Manning Nice, and Esther, among others, having their terminals at Shekilango, Urafiki, Manzese, and Mabibo all along the Morogoro road.
Others have their main terminals at Kigamboni, Mbagala, and River Side.
Residents rejoice at the convenience.
Amidst the chaos of buses manoeuvring for position and passengers bustling about, taxis, bajaji (rickshaws), and bodabodas (motorbikes) are all always on standby to take arriving passengers to various destinations.
"I used to dread the long trek to Ubungo just to catch a bus," laments Ms Fatuma, a resident of Kigamboni. "But now, with these smaller stations popping up everywhere, it's become so much easier."
Indeed, amidst the controversy swirling around the Magufuli Bus Terminal, small businesses along Morogoro Road find themselves thriving like never before. The owner of a roadside café near Urafiki, Mr Hussein Ali, speaks of the boon these stations have brought to his business.
"It's a big gain for us," he admits. "With all the buses loading and unloading from our area, we've seen a significant increase in customers. Many want to be served food and soft drinks, among other services."
However, the Ubungo municipality has been urging bus owners to ensure that they use the regional bus terminal fully as their place of loading and unloading passengers, a move that has sparked controversy.
The municipality aims to collect revenue effectively, while bus owners argue that it is about providing services closer to their customers.
The Tanzania Bus Owners Association (Taboa) defends its decision to operate outside the confines of the Mbezi Luis terminal, citing logistical challenges and inconvenience for passengers.
"Operating from the Magufuli terminal is simply not feasible for us," asserts a member of Taboa's executive committee, Mr Elinas Emmanuel. "The capacity is inadequate, the location is inconvenient, and the lack of maintenance facilities poses a risk to our vehicles and passengers alike."
But with the mounting pressure and uncertainty, life along Morogoro Road marches on. Buses come and go, passengers embark on their journeys, and the city pulses with energy and life.
"We cannot run away from our customers. Every bus owner wishes to provide excellent service to their customers and not just satisfy tax collectors without considering where the greatest need lies," Mr Emmanuel emphasised.
Taboa claims that the terminal was incapable of servicing more than 500 buses at a time, leading some members to use private stations. Additionally, Taboa argues that the project was implemented without involving transport stakeholders and became operational before its completion.
He stated that while the old Ubungo bus station (former regional terminal) was centrally located, making it convenient for all vehicles to start and end their trips, the Magufuli terminal is far from areas like Kigamboni or Mkuranga, causing inconvenience for residents who have to commute to the terminal.
He emphasised that the terminal's capacity was insufficient, with only 108 buses accommodated, while over 500 buses are entering Dar es Salaam from various regions.
“Forcing all buses to use the Magufuli terminal solely for revenue collection purposes lacked creativity. We have thought that bus owners should be invoiced monthly for their contributions to revenue collection.”
Taboa's concerns are echoed by passengers and small business owners alike. The convenience of catching a bus closer to home outweighs the allure of a centralised terminal, they argue.
“I cannot travel more than 30 kilometres from Kigamboni to Magufuli Bus Terminal, just to look for a bus that has remained loyal to the municipal council’s demand. We thank those buses that have established stations closer to passengers,” said one traveller, Ms Janeth Mbaga.
As the controversy rages on, the fate of the Magufuli Bus Terminal hangs in the balance. While some advocate for its expansion and improvement, others question its very existence in the face of a changing transportation landscape.
According to reports, Ubungo Municipality is missing approximately more than Sh50 million every month due to more buses not using the Magufuli bus terminal for the main loading and unloading of passengers as intended.
The municipal administration says that usually one passenger entering the stand for a travel ticket is required to pay at least Sh300 as an entry fee, as are the escort and the recipients of passengers from upcountry or abroad.
Currently, the modern bus terminal is not used to its potential, thus causing significant losses as 70 to 90 buses use smaller stations along Morogoro Road.
So using 90 buses (as an example) with 55 passengers inside that do not load from inside the Magufuli terminal, a total of Sh16,500 is lost, which would come from the 55 passengers every day if they booked tickets at the facility, and so for 90 buses, more than Sh1.4 million is missed every day.
Also, each bus that enters the stand pays Sh3000 no matter where the passenger boarded from, as a result, passengers do not pay entry fees and their recipients do not go to wait for them at the stand.
The Executive Director of the Ubungo Municipal Council, Mr Aron Kagurumjuli, said their strategy was to ensure that all buses use the Magufuli bus terminal fully according to the law, while emphasising that the business operators in the terminal were equivalent to bus operators, thus calling for everyone to be accountable equally.
"We are continuing discussions to ensure that all buses use the Magufuli terminal. At the same time, we are looking at how to expand the terminal to accommodate all buses entering and leaving Dar es Salaam," he told The Citizen in an interview.
"We cannot demand they start doing so when we haven't provided enough space, but discussions are ongoing between us and the bus owners for the utilisation of the facility."
