Challenges and Opportunities for the Integration of Commuter Minibus Operators into the Dar es Salaam City BRT System

Public transport in Dar es Salaam city, Tanzania, is currently provided by about 5,000 licensed, small capacity and privately owned commuter minibuses commonly known as ‘Daladala’. The service offered is generally poor and unsafe, lacking professionalism, efficiency, quality and safety for the commuters. Daladalas have also largely contributed to the increasing traffic congestion in the city and have failed to provide efficient transport for the growing population in the city. These factors compelled the City Council to consider the introduction of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in the city, namely DART system, which is being implemented by the Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART). The DART system is planned in six phases to cover the six major corridors/ arterial roads in Dar es Salaam City and Phase One, which is currently under construction, will cover about 21 km of trunk route. There is therefore a need to plan on what to do with the Daladalas that will be affected by the implementation of the DART system and as much as possible facilitate for their integration into the system. This paper aims at identifying the challenges and opportunities for the Daladala operators to participate in the provision and operation of DART buses and as a result shed light on how best existing operators can be integrated into the new system or catered for otherwise.