By James Johnson
The daladala is Tanzania’s unique invention behind local public transport, providing swift services in and around cities, along with town to village commutes. This success is a testament to the collective organisation of communities all over. But is this empire under threat in the countries new economic age ?
The traffic officer watched on across the street as groups of people were thrown into the daladala. Tanzania is famously known for its polepole (slowly slowly) way of living. At the bus park, this is far from the case. Your correspondent was next, making the 25th passenger in a 15 seater minivan. Only at this point could the bus depart on its route, the conductor remaining attentive, looking out for potential passengers waiting further down the road. Inside, the controlled chaos was unfolding. A mother looked disgruntled as she slung her newborn from her back round to her front, then placing it on a younger man’s lap. He sighed and joined the tangle of limbs on the floor. The mother and her baby were rewarded with a seat on the 2 hour journey.
The daladala operates a take what you can get service, knowing well that at 500-2000 shillings (15-60 pence) it is a bargain unchallenged by another mode of transport. These journeys are none alike. There are better and worse trips on the daladala, but passengers accept these trade-offs to keep to fare low. But when one makes a journey, they are entering a lottery which begs the question: How has this chaotic service become the backbone of Tanzania’s transportation industry?
A little history…
The collapse of public transport in and around Dar es Salaam and the rising number of commuters led to the emergence of the illegal shared taxi business. The population of Dar es Salaam is rapidly changing, confirming the need for swift services to be available in and around the city. By 1983, these services became legal, increasing the number of daladalas on the road along with the number of people commuting. By 1998, there were 12 government run busses and around 7000 daladalas operating on a regular basis. The organisation by the city’s residents outperformed the progress made by the government. All routes were established independently and informally, the conductors marking their turf in areas where human traffic was high. The demand by commuters was satisfied, allowing economic movement around the second fastest growing city worldwide. Without this initiative, growth and development in Dar es Salaam would have remained limited.
The popularity of these services is of significance over 20 years later, demonstrating the grouped success of a population that met the their own demands. The daladala transports passengers even in the most rural areas like the Kilimanjaro range or even towards Serengeti National Park. If there is a place you want to go, the daladala will take you there. This has boosted the interconnectivity of villages, facilitating trade and opening people up to new forms of employment. Indeed, the success of the country’s economic development would not have been so great without the grouped initiative of the population. That said, the government is now in a position to push development further. As wages are increasing, so is the economic value of time. People are willing to spend more to cut down the length of their journey which has led to the emergence of more commercial bus services like the Kilimanjaro Express. And, with the population increasing 5% a year on average, the government has an incentive to ensure the roads avoid congestion.
Tanzania’s transport development vision
The government have implemented their plans to expand bus services with particular focus on Dar es Salaam, the countries most populated city, currently at almost 8 million residents. A government report highlighted the need for a standardised system in place that would improve safety in what are some of Africa’s busiest cities. As population has been increasing at such a high rate, transport is key to keeping major cities under control. Along with this, carbon emissions are reduced which supports a sustainable city. Tanzania’s development vision will help transform the country into the middle-income bracket by 2025. By operating a new bus system, more people will be transported in comfort from the suburbs into the city. As wages are increasing, so is the opportunity cost of time. This is why the government believe the scheme will be successful, gradually taking over from the daladalas that currently operate in Dar es Salaam.
$290 million dollars has been funded by a world bank loan for this scheme to take place, with the rest being funded by the African development bank. The cheapest ticket is around 800 shillings (25p) which is slightly more expensive than the daladala, but there is confidence that Tanzanians will be happy to pay the slight upcharge. This supports the phase out of the daladala – but will people stop using the service? Baracca, a local guide I spoke with in the Usambara mountains, has no concern over daladala services discontinuing, stating that ‘these services are integral to the livelihoods of communities around the country’.
Although busses will become more common in major cities, daladalas will still be used to connect villages and towns, particularly due to the narrow roads that would struggle to support public busses. Within these smaller areas, economic development is progressing at a far slower rate, meaning locals will be more content in taking the cheaper fare when they travel, which is less often than those in the city. The daladala has been a roaring success in Tanzania, becoming the back bone of connecting the nation. And despite the advances of modernised transportation, the daladala will still be used as Tanzania’s long serving informal bus service into the future.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own, and may not reflect the opinions of The St Andrews Economist.
Image Source: James Johnson