Tanzania confirms arrival of 99 buses for BRT services

Dar es Salaam. The government has confirmed the arrival of 99 long-awaited buses for the second phase of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which is scheduled to start operating next month.

The public transport route in the commercial capital is complete in terms of construction but was waiting for the buses to commence services.

The 20.3-kilometre Phase Two corridor—constructed by China’s Sinohydro Construction Limited—cost a total of $159.32 million (Sh285.1 billion), and connects Mbagala to Gerezani and Morocco to Kigamboni.

Speaking to The Citizen on Thursday August 07, 2025, Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Agency (Dart) chief executive officer, Dr Athumani Kihamia, confirmed that the 99 buses arrived at the Dar es Salaam Port on the night of August 5, 2025 and are currently being cleared.

“The buses have been offloaded, but are yet to leave the port. An additional 52 buses are expected to arrive on August 26 or 27, bringing the total to 151 buses set to operate along the Phase Two route,” Dr Kihamia said.

He noted that the newly arrived units—18-metre-long articulated buses manufactured by Golden Dragon—are designed specifically for the BRT trunk route and will significantly boost transport capacity once deployed.

“These are just the initial units. Eventually, the route will require a total of 755 buses for full operation,” he added.

Dr Kihamia revealed that the buses were shipped from the Glovis Precious Port in Xiamen, China, where he personally witnessed the loading process on July 17. The buses belong to local operator Mofat Company Limited, which has been contracted to run part of the BRT rote.

In preparation for the operational rollout, Mofat launched a recruitment drive on June 21 aimed at creating over 1,000 job opportunities. As of June 23, the company’s chief operations officer, Mr Mabrouk Masasi, confirmed that 423 vacancies had already been announced.

“We’ve begun recruiting 423 employees—255 drivers and 158 station assistants, with the remainder being mechanics and support staff,” Mr Masasi said.

He added that more vacancies would be advertised once operations commence, with the total workforce expected to reach around 1,100 employees.

“The first batch of buses is set to begin operations on September 1, 2025. Our preparations include receiving and installing electronic gate systems, training staff, and finalising the fare collection infrastructure,” he said.

All incoming buses will be stationed at the Mbagala terminal ahead of deployment.