Two Tanzanian companies among 30 applied to operate Dar es Salaam BRT

Dar es Salaam. Two Tanzanian companies are among 30 others that are competing to operate the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in a global tender to procure commuter buses in Dar es Salaam.

The government is looking for private investors to partner with and improve efficiency in the BRT.

Last week, the minister of State in the President’s Office - Regional Administration and Local Governments (PO-RALG), Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa, urged Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Agency (Dart) to find a private investor by October 2024 to offer bus services and maintain efficiency.

Dart’s chief executive officer Athumani Kihamia told The Citizen that two Tanzanian firms were competing for the tender but said it’s too early to mention the names of the companies.

“It is not appropriate to name a corporation at this time because the tender to find a service provider is international. There are currently two businesses from the United Arab Emirates, one each from Asia and the United Kingdom, and numerous others from Africa,” he said.

“The procurement process is currently going on very well; once we get a qualified service provider and make an agreement, we will announce the company as soon as possible and make it public,” he said.

Mr Kihamia insisted that currently there is no company that has won or been awarded the tender so far, adding that Dart is a procurement entity that is handling the procurement process.

According to him, it is a procedure to get a service provider, because the procurement process involves various institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, the Attorney General’s Office, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and the PO-RALG.

On March 20 this year, Mr Mchengerwa said that if Dart officials failed to secure an investor from the private sector who would ensure the availability of buses, they should resign after the six-month ultimatum.

“We have reached an agreement and there is no room for negotiation. People need quality services,” he said.

Reports indicate that BRT phase one has been operating under 210 buses instead of the 305 buses needed.

Currently, the BRT system has a total length of 21 kilometres and runs from Kimara through Ubungo to Kivukoni and Morocco.

The construction of infrastructure for the second phase of BRT II has been completed since last year, but buses are yet to arrive.

The BRT II can operate with 700 buses for the route to be successfully effective in transporting an average of 600,000 to 700,000 passengers per day.

In December 2023, Tanzania Road Agency Tanroads project manager for BRT, Mr Barakael Mmari, told The Citizen that the BRT II was almost finished, with the installation of traffic lights pending.

The construction of infrastructure includes 20.3km of exclusive BRT lanes and non-motorised transport (NMT) facilities along the Kilwa Road corridor and part of Kawawa Road.

The project corridor traverses from Mbagala Area in Temeke District to the Central Business District, where it connects with Phase 1 of the BRT system at the Kariakoo hub.