The Dar es Salaam City Council (DCC) is in the process of introducing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project which will put in place a new transport system with modern city buses. A few years back, a similar project (UDA) failed. Do you think BRT in Dar will succeed?

YES. I think BRT will succeed where UDA failed. I am saying this because at that time, Tanzanians were still too ‘young’ to have the experience of running a city transport system. Also due to the socialist mindset, statutory entities were nobody’s property so whether well run or not, no body was concerned. With the shift from a state-owned economy to a liberal economy, possibly the BRT will one day get listed at the bourse and sell shares to the public, which will guarantee a smooth running of the entity.
Amina Seif – Entrepreneur,

YES. I am optimistic that the new mass transport system for the city of Dar es Salaam will be a success. I am saying this because the DCC did not just decide to embark on the project. A tender was floated and a number of cities forwarded their bids. According to the criteria set, DCC was the only one that won. One of the criteria, according to those who floated the tenders, was having a good road network in place which made possible the qualification of Dar. I am sure the project will be a success.
Angelo Masai – Contractor,

NO. I am feeling that the project will take off well but won’t be sustainable. This is because, first of all the project is funded by the World Bank, and according to experience, most foreign-funded projects collapse once the donors pull out. Secondly, I am sure that a great chunk of the money will be invested in infrastructure for the new system, which will be very costly. If UDA died and was a parastatal organization, there is not much hope for BRT to be successful.
Mulumba Peter – Instructor,

YES. I am sure that project will succeed. If, in Bogotá, which had by that time the same road network as Dar es Salaam, succeeded; why not here? Things have changed. Taking the example of the failure of UDA does not make any sense to me. Currently, no project is started without enough research being done in terms of viability and sustainability. Furthermore a trial will be carried out to single out the problems and they will be solved before the project is in full swing. On top of this, experts will be hired to oversee the project which gives me confidence of the project’s sustainability.
Kisama Abdul – Economist.

Compiled by Timothy Kitundu.