300 passengers stranded at Ubungo as road rules bite

Passengers buy tickets ready to travel to Moshi using a city commuter bus that normally plies the Gongolamboto-Kivukoni route yesterday. Following tightening of road rules by the traffic department, buses from up-country take long to arrive in the city. This resulted in a shortage of buses ahead of Easter celebrations. PHOTO | SAID KHAMIS 

By By Kelvin Matandiko The Citizen Correspondent

In Summary

More than 50 buses travelling from Mwanza, Kigoma, Bukoba, Tabora, Kahama and other regions had to stop when it got 10pm as they are not allowed to travel during the night for security reasons.

Dar es Salaam. More than 300 passengers planning to travel up-country got stranded yesterday at Ubungo Bus Terminal after the buses they were to travel with arrived late in the city.

The delay resulted from implementation by traffic police of the road rule that wants drivers not to surpass the 80-kilometre per hour speed limit.

Police imposed the regulation as one of the measures to try and reduce road accidents that have been claiming tens of lives of passengers as well as causing huge property losses.

More than 50 buses travelling from Mwanza, Kigoma, Bukoba, Tabora, Kahama and other regions had to stop when it got 10pm as they are not allowed to travel during the night for security reasons. This means they arrived late in the city.

As of yesterday, many passengers were in dilemma at Ubungo as they were not aware of the traffic regulation.

Tanzania Bus Owners Association (Taboa) chairman Clement Massanja told The Citizen that the association supports the move by traffic police department but asked for extension of travelling hours and speed so as to enable transporters have sufficient time to service the vehicles after a long journey and before putting them back on the road.

“We fully support the government in its efforts to curb accidents. Since we’re running businesses, we must do so in ways that don’t cause us losses, so, time is of essence to us,” he said. He said that the government should also address other factors that cause road accidents such as poor and narrow roads, drivers’ welfare as well as conducting proper vehicle inspections.

“Every one should play their part in this, the burden should not only be on bu drivers and owners,” he said.

He further said that today there will be no bus travelling upcountry because Taboa will be having a general meeting to discuss various issues in relation to new efforts of implementing traffic regulations.

He said one of the things they will discuss is their request to the government to extend the speed limit from 80 kilometres per hour to 100 kilometres per hour.

“We may as well contemplate going on a strike if that happens to beour best option,” he said.

For his part, Passenger Rights Association (Chakua) secretary Godwin Ntongeji commended the government decision to tighten its control of traffic regulations saying this will help reduce incidences of road accidents.