Prime
Tanzania finally lifts ban on 24-hour bus operations
Magufuli Bus Terminal in Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The new decision, according to the government, comes after positive changes in infrastructure, security through police patrols and considering the views of various stakeholders in the transportation sector.
Dar es Salaam. The government yesterday officially permitted upcountry passenger buses to operate for 24 hours in a bid to further stimulate the economy in the transportation sub-sector.
The announcement removes the ban that was imposed back in the 1990s and responds to the long-term demand of some bus owners and drivers who wanted the operation to be done for 24 hours like in other countries.
The new decision, according to the government, comes after positive changes in infrastructure, security through police patrols and considering the views of various stakeholders in the transportation sector.
“With these positive changes, the government has decided to remove the ban on passenger buses traveling at night that was set in the 1990s," announced Prime Minister Kassimu Majaliwa in Parliament yesterday.
In order to implement the decision, the Home Affairs ministry was directed to collaborate with the Works and Transport ministry, especially the transport sector, "to establish a procedure to be followed by the owners and drivers of passenger buses who intend to transport passengers at night."
The Premier was speaking while closing the 11th session of the 12th parliament in Dodoma noting that the 1990 ban was caused by incidents of bus hijacking involving looting and humiliation of passengers.
Other reasons, he said, included serious bus accidents that cost people's lives and led to some permanent disabilities and damage to property and road infrastructure. The hijacking of buses, he noted, was taking place in areas with bad roads and networks for communications.
Following the measures taken to significantly reduce or completely remove the security and infrastructure challenges that existed during that period, the government had no choice but to allow the transportation to work day and night.
According to the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) to help manage the rates of accidents, the plan will take into action vehicle tracking as well as keeping tabs on drivers assigned to each bus with trips that last eight hours and more requiring two drivers per trip.
The law also allows the agency to certify drivers by taking their prints, trace the driver’s speed limits and in case of reckless driving the driver will then be banned.
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa addresses Parliament at the end of its marathon Budget sitting in Dodoma on June 28, 2023. The National Assembly will convene again in September. PHOTO | MICHAEL MATEMANGA
The port agreement
Mr Majaliwa urged Tanzanians to prevent the allure of debating national issues in a manner that could potentially divide the country along tribal, religious, political and regional lines.
He however noted that the Samia Suluhu Hassan administration would lend a listening ear to advice from people of various walks of life, including in the ongoing debate on the Intergovernmental Agreement between Tanzania and Dubai in port operations.
He further insisted that despite the ongoing clarifications regarding the embattled port investment, Tanzanians’ opinions and advice will be taken into account.
In addition, he emphasized that the government will ensure that the implementation agreements set to be signed take into account the interests of the country and bring benefits to the people.
"… We should not allow any kind of division when we give our opinion about the port investment. Let's avoid discussing political ideologies, religion, tribalism or whatever, it's important to respect our value of peace and unity of our nation built by our founders," he said.
He directed the Works and Transport ministry to continue coordinating the provision of education and clarification of citizens' arguments regarding agreements and contracts so that the difference between the two measures is clear.
On June 10, 2023 Parliament passed a resolution that ratified an agreement between the two countries regarding economic and social cooperation for the development and improvement of the operation of the port in Tanzania.
As a result, there arose various opinions from parliamentarians, scholars and citizens on some aspects of the agreement that the government ought to consider when concluding the contracts.
Meanwhile, he talked about President Hassan's order regarding the preparation of a vision and strategy that will provide a national guide to move to the use of clean energy for cooking, a decision aimed at seeing 80 percent of Tanzanians using that energy within the next 10 years.
"To ensure that the vision is successful, the government has planned well to continue managing the issue of clean energy for cooking by setting effective strategies, including ensuring that there is access to clean, affordable, sustainable and reliable energy for cooking through gas infrastructure," he noted.
Other strategies include preparing, harmonizing and revitalizing policies, laws, regulations and enabling guidelines that will achieve the use of clean cooking energy and encourage investment in the clean cooking energy sub-sector.
