Dar es Salaam. The amount collected through Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line fares has increased by 67% over the past few weeks, thanks to the adoption of a new fare collection mechanism.
With the Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS), BRT operator Udart now collects an average of 3 billion shillings a month, up from an average of 1.8 billion shillings a month a few months ago, the chief said. from Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Agency (Dart). said executive Edwin Mhede over the weekend.
AFCS is an umbrella term for the ticketing system in public transport where the fare is no longer paid directly but via ticket vending machines, online service or other methods. In practice, AFCS is the default fare collection method in any modern public transport system.
Briefing members of the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and Local Government Affairs, Dr Mhede said that before the adoption of the system, they collected on average between 70 and 80 million shillings a day.
“With the system in place, we now collect an average of between 100 and 125 million shillings per day, depending on the number of commuters using our services,” he said.
He said the AFCS installation task started as a pilot project in July last year.
Meanwhile, the system has only been installed at two of Dart’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations.
“Since April 22, 2022, the machines have been officially installed on all main roads from Kivukoni to Kimara and even feeder and main roads, increasing fare collection,” he said.
Chairman of the Administration and Local Government Affairs Committee of the Parliament, Mr. Abdallah Chaurembo, has asked Dart and Udart to consider extending their services to Mbagala during the upcoming Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair which is normally held in July.
He further urged Udart to submit a detailed report on their functioning and the challenges they face and for the government to see how it could help them.
Committee member Ms. Margaret Sitta applauded Dart for the progress made so far and urged them to speed up lane construction so that the project can be completed on time.
“It is important to ensure that all construction phases are completed as soon as necessary and to ensure that there is good value for money, because when the project takes time to complete, the costs increase. as well,” she said.
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