Commuters face delays, card shortages as Zanzibar rolls out electric buses

Unguja. As electric buses officially commence operations in Zanzibar, several logistical challenges have emerged, including card shortages, bus scarcity, long passenger waiting times, and confusion surrounding the new boarding and ticketing system.

The buses, officially launched on July 23, 2026, by Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, have started passenger transportation along two initial corridors: Stone Town to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, and Stone Town to Chukwani-Buyu.

Operations on other routes await the completion of road infrastructure and terminals currently under construction.

Along the routes where the electric fleet has rolled out, standard minibuses (daladalas) have had their services suspended.

However, this move triggered complaints from commuters, who argued that private minibus services were halted before the new public system was adequately coordinated.

Speaking to The Citizen’s sister newspaper Mwananchi at different times on Tuesday, August 4, 2025, several passengers expressed frustration, noting that despite the modern initiative, operational inefficiencies cause severe delays to their daily activities.

“They are not organized yet. Authorities should have allowed minibuses to continue operating until the project was fully prepared. Under this current setup, commuters are suffering greatly,” said a passenger who identified himself simply as Hussein.

He added that passengers often wait over 40 minutes at bus stops, and the vehicles travel at low speeds despite being billed as a Rapid Bus Transit system.

Another commuter, Ms Mwajuma Mwidin, pointed to inefficiency among service staff as a key bottleneck.

She noted that despite having multiple attendants on board, one providing user education while others handle ticketing, loading and offloading passengers takes an excessive amount of time.

Smart card and ticketing bottlenecks

Other commuters raised concerns over severe shortages of smart cards used for automated fare collection.

Because cards are issued from a single central point, stock runs out quickly.

Due to the card shortage, many passengers are forced to pay cash inside the vehicles and receive manual paper receipts, defeating the design of the digital system.

A single smart card costs Sh2,500. Standard passenger fares are set at Sh700, whilst students and senior citizens aged 70 and above pay a discounted fare of Sh350.

“Even obtaining change has become a major issue because card usage is not universal, and conductors onboard rarely have exact change,” noted another passenger.

Furthermore, commuters observed that onboarding guidance remains inefficient.

Instead of using the buses' built-in public address systems, onboard instructors walk up to individual seats to explain the ticketing system, a process consuming significant time while leaving some boarding passengers unassisted.

Another commuter, Mr Kassim Burhan, urged authorities to address the gaps before expanding the project: “If they intended to roll out service, proper preparations should have been completed first rather than causing inconvenience on just two routes. What will happen when it expands across the entire island?”

He added that conductors spend excessive time issuing paper tickets to individual passengers, compounding overall route delays.

Similarly, Mr Hashim Hassan, a worker in Chukwani, said commuters regularly arrive late for casual work shifts due to long queues and slow boarding procedures.

Authorities promise quick fixes

Responding to the concerns, the Zanzibar Social Security Fund (ZSSF) Managing Director, Mr Nassor Shaaban Ameir, managing the fleet in partnership with Zanbus Company, explained that bus shortages stem from incomplete road and terminal infrastructure.

He clarified that while only 15 buses have been deployed in the initial phase, approximately 100 buses will be rolled out shortly, with the project ultimately scaling to a total fleet of 500 electric buses.

Addressing the card shortage, Mr Ameir attributed the deficit to an unexpected surge in public demand during the rollout phase.

He assured commuters that card distribution would soon be decentralized, with authorized sales agents appointed across various locations to ensure easy access.