Moshi-Arusha passengers pay 1,500/- for comfort
Shacks popping up at alarming rate at central bus terminal
By Staff Writer
Operators of the mini-buses plying between Moshi and Arusha , have devised a new
style which reportedly allows them to be more 'flexible' in fixing fare charges
whose rates now range between Tsh.1000 and Tsh.1500 per person, with the latter
being termed as the 'official' bus fare.
This paper has discovered that the operators now give the commuters a choice:
Whether they should be seated five in a row and pay Tsh.1000 for the
inconvenience, or pay the usual Tsh.1500 and enjoy more space by being seated
four in a row. All Toyota 'Coaster' Mini buses have a seating capacity of four
people per row and most have six rows.
With more than 50 such buses covering the Moshi-Arusha route, the competition
for passengers couldn't be more fierce and this is further reinforced by the
fact that most commuters prefer to travel from Arusha to Moshi and vice-versa on
much larger, cross-country buses that ply between Arusha and either Dar-es-salaam
or Tanga. Larger buses apparently give local travelers a sense of security,
following series of road accidents along the Moshi-Arusha highway.
Mid-sized buses, mostly fabricated Mitsubishi Fuso models, have recently also
joined in the Moshi-Arusha passenger battle, though these vehicles were
originally licenced to tackle a much longer route by ferrying people to and from
as far as Mwanga and Same districts of Kilimanjaro. With the Arusha-Kilimanjaro
Bus Operators Association (AKIBOA) no longer in place to play referee in the
passenger picking game, almost each operator with a bus to spare now seems to be
joining in the fray.
To try to at least curb that, the bus operators have put up hand written lists
of vehicles that are 'supposed' to be picking Moshi-bound passengers at the
Arusha terminal, including their registration numbers in a bid to wade off
'alien' machines, from invading their operating space.
But the 'alien' shuttles have been noted not to be so keen in queuing up for
passengers at the terminal dock, not with business being more lucrative on
roadside stop-overs in areas like Mianzini, Ilboru junction, Sanawari, Sekei,
Philips, Kimandolu and Kwangulelo, where most passengers are usually found.
This cut throat competition in passenger ferrying business has hence forced most
operators to re-
think their original fare price of Tsh.1500 grudgingly cutting that down to
Tsh.1000 but with a clear message that, passengers should never complain should
a situation which calls for them to be squeezed five in a row, arises.
Meanwhile, constructions of permanent structures that are to serve as ticket
offices for bus agents are going on at an alarming rate, within and around the
central bus station of Arusha. The bundled together, brick and mortar buildings
are already reducing the terminal into a sprawling slum.
Efforts to contact the Municipal officials to comment on the on-going
constructions were unsuccessful as they were not in the office by the time we
were going to press. In order to avoid the risks of fire outbreaks, no building
was being allowed within and around the bus terminal, a directive which has been
adhered to for five years but now the decision seem to have been reversed.
Some operators have however chosen not to put up structures, these have 'wisely'
stated that, their counterparts are standing to incur major losses since the
buildings they are trying to put up will be knocked down after the forthcoming
General Elections.
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