Private Sector Delivery of Urban Services: Benefits, Obstacles and Ways Forward for Public Transport Service in Dar Es Salaam City, Tanzania

Abstract

The paper deals with private- as opposed to public-sector delivery of urban services. The focus is on the delivery of public transport (bus) services in Dar Es Salaam city in Tanzania. The main objectives of the paper are threefold: firstly, to present the benefits accruing from private sector delivery of public transport in Dar Es Salaam; secondly, to examine the obstacles experienced in the private sector delivery of public transport in the city; and thirdly, to discuss strategies that are currently underway to address some problems faced in public transport delivery. The benefits accruing from the private sector delivery of this service include, among others, more efficient, effective, competitive, innovative, reliable and generally better services. Other benefits include the creation of a substantial employment and contribution to the government coffers through payment of taxes and fees. Obstacles include government interference, high operating costs, low and constantly low bus fares, and inadequate urban transport infrastructure. Strategies that are underway to address some of the problems of public transport delivery in Dar Es Salaam are comprised of investments in Rapid Bus Transit (RBT), commissioning of large size commuter buses and development of a vision of more sustainable transport service. Recommendations given to policy and decision makers include the creation of a more supporting and the sustaining of an enabling environment for all the stakeholders in the sector to achieve a win-win situation with regard to provision and effective use of this important service in the city.