UDA shareholder to buy 300 buses

Monday, 08 October 2012 10:07 digg_url = ' + location.href + '; digg_title = 'UDA shareholder to buy 300 buses'; digg_bodytext = ''; digg_bgcolor = '#ffffff'; digg_window = 'new'; By The Citizen ReporterDar es Salaam. The Simon Group, the major shareholder of the state-owned Shirika la Usafiri Dar es Salaam (UDA)  yesterday said until March next year it would have imported about 300 buses.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony of 15 brand new buses, the Simon Group chairman, Mr Robert Kisena, said his firm would soon establish special transport for students, private hire services, women and executives within Dar es Salaam suburbs, where public transport had almost been a myth.

The company plans to create about 900 employment opportunities through its transport business project. Mr Kisena explained that his company, which is the major shareholder, had managed to solicit funds to import about 300 new buses, which would ease public transport in the city.  He said the new buses would enable UDA compete with other private transporters.

“We have decided to unveil the new strategy, where the Dar es Salaam city will be similar to other prominent cities in the world. We will have ‘malaika’ buses which will specifically carry women and we have done it purposely to protect them from the harassment they often experience in commuter buses,” Mr Kisena said among the 300 buses there would be 20 special buses for city students, while other categories of UDA services would be spread all over the routes in Dar es Salaam.

He noted that a poor public transport system in Dar es Salaam had been unfair to women as most of them were not tough enough to be able to board a commuter bus as men did. Such special buses for women have been successful in some Indian cities. However, UDA will also establish executive class services, which will be expensive but with requisite services in it.

“We think that after initiating executive routes  transport costs of most executive services will go down as well as the traffic congestion in the city,” he said.