Bus fares set to rise in next few days

 By Jacob Mosenda

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Dar es Salaam. Transport costs are expected to rise during the coming few days, pending the ongoing analysis by experts from the

Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra).
This comes as the time for receiving stakeholders’ views on the proposed new rates expired yesterday, paving the way for experts to start a detailed analysis before announcing the new fares in a span of about 10 days.
After receiving applications from stakeholders including up-country and commuter buses owners, permanent secretary in the ministry of Works and Transport in charge of transport, Mr Gabriel Migire, said yesterday that the review process was ongoing.
“The process is now going on and Latra continues to work on it according to existing procedures. Once completed they will give a statement because it is the right authority for that role,” said Mr Migire.
There was no immediate reaction from Latra, but impeccable sources have confided in The Citizen that new fares must be announced before May 1, 2022, the day when salaries of public servants are also expected to be advised upwards if recent government promises have anything to go by.
It should be remembered that by May 1, last year, workers in the public sector had seen no salary increment for five years. However, President Samia Suluhu Hassan left them with a big promise for this year.
Speaking at Mwanza’s Kirumba Stadium where International Labour Day was nationally celebrated, President Hassan expressed her sadness over the situation, stressing it was not possible due to various factors.
She said the economy was not doing well due to the outbreak of Covid-19, which disrupted economic activities across the world.
Economic growth slowed from an average of 6.9 percent in 2019 to 4.7 percent in 2020, she said.
“We also intend to pay arrears of salaries worth Sh60 billion, changes in staffing structures that will cost about Sh120 billion as well as recruit 40,000 new workers at a cost of Sh339 billion to reduce the burden on existing civil servants especially in the education and health sectors,” she said.
She believed that the efforts would reduce the cost of living for civil servants, “but I can assure you my fellow workers that next year (this year) on a day like today (May 1), I will come up with a good package to raise salaries,” she promised.
Meanwhile, in a meeting between the ministry of works and Transport, Latra and the Tanzania Bus Owners ’Association (Taboa) deliberated on challenges facing the latter.
Many complaints were raised regarding the Vehicle Tracking System (Latra VTS), permission for buses to operate 24 hours and limitations in Latra law no. 3 of 2019.
Presenting the proposals, Taboa executive committee member Elinas Emmanuel said the VTS system has now been transformed into a source of revenue and not a speed controller.
He explained that drivers have been charged a lot of fines through the system which many a time is not good.
“If the VTS is effective then it is just by two percent  because you can’t say you control the speed when the driver is detected in two to three places, without being punished immediately, you wait until the end of the trip then he is shown the total cost,” he said.
“Another one stays up to a month and is sent a list of all the offences and the total fine he is required to pay, now if the intention is to control speed, how can a driver be left to repeat the mistakes many times to be fined later?” queried Mr Emmanuel.
He said some staff members have been colluding with some bus owners to turn off the alarms, which makes them arrive at different destinations earlier than their competitors.
“This kills competition for some companies, one bus taking six hours to reach Dodoma from Dar es Salaam and another 10 hours to the same destination will make the one who spends less time getting more customers than another,” he said.
He used the occasion to suggest that the VTS should be used as intended and not a source of revenue for Latra and that the perpetrators be held accountable.
With regard to the Latra Act, he demanded a review and amendment of some of the rules and regulations, citing the difference in fines imposed on a drunk driver and the owner of a vehicle that does not have stickers for the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra).
“If you are found not having a Sumatra sticker the fine is Sh500,000 but if you are found driving while drunk the fine is Sh50,000, what is the danger between these that require a hefty fine?” questioned Emmanuel.
But, Mr Migire said they would form a committee to deal with all  complaints and come up with answers.
“We will also look at the issue of making buses work for 24 hours,” he said.