How To Commute In Dar es Salaam

1. Daladala.

Riding the daladala is the most popular way of commuting in the city of Dar es Salaam, and most regions/cities in Tanzania. The daladalas range from a small 16 passenger van to a 30 passenger bus. This popular mean of transportation is privately owned, operated by the locals and regulated by the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority, known as Sumatra.

The name daladala originates from the word dala, which means 5 cents is Kiswahili. 5 cents was the original fare of the transport system in its early days hence daladala became the popular way to refer to the commuter buses at that time. As of this writing, the daladala fare ranges from Tsh. 200 to Tsh. 400 on a single one way route. The fares in daladala don’t have transfer benefit, you pay on every bus taken.

During rush hour at 06:00 am – 08:00 am and 04:00 pm – 06:00 pm, the daladala buses can be very full and crowded as the bus operators fill the buses to maximize profit. The crowded buses seem to be a norm as commuters do not seem to mind and only care to get to their destinations sooner than later. During the afternoon, the buses tend to not be crowded.

The daladala is the cheapest way to travel within the city’s main and town roads, however, if you want to go to the city’s outskirts, a different means of transport would suffice as a better option.

Pros:

The cheapest way to commute.
Availability is abundant.

Cons:

Can get crowded during rush hour.
Most bus conductors don’t necessarily speak fluent English.
Some bus drivers can deviate from the route without notice or if majority aren’t affected.

Daladala in Dar es Salaam — Daladala in Dar es salaam. Photo courtesy of nijuze.co.tz

2. Ridesharing (Uber & Taxify).

Dar es Salaam is also popular to 2 ridesharing services, Uber and Taxify. Independent contractors use their own vehicles and a mobile application to accept ride requests.

One thing to note that is different in Tanzania is how one pays for the ride sharing services. Cash is king in Tanzania, and most (if not all) drivers take cash settlement instead of the in-app payments like in the western world. With my experience, all the rides I took using both Uber and Taxify, I had to pay cash. If you know that in-app payment using card is possible, if it is, please let us know in the comment section below.

In my opinion, I think ride sharing is the most optimal and safest way for a visitor/ tourist to use when visiting Dar es Salaam city.

Pros:

Price is determined in the app removing likelihood of price inflation by driver.
Best way to reach the outskirts of the city.
No stops, therefore quick way to travel.
Privacy.

Cons:

More expensive than the daladala.

3. Taxi.

Taxi service are similar to ride-sharing services except that they are privately owned, lack in-app requests, and the price is normally negotiated before the trip starts.

As of this writing, it seems like one has to go out to look for a taxi, and negotiate the fare with the driver. Also there seems to be no regulation / or official set up taxi rates in Dar es Salaam and the fare wholly depends on the negotiation between the customer and the driver. One could pay Tsh. 1,000 while another can pay Tsh. 10,000 on the same route.

With my experience, most taxi drivers will inflate the fare if they notice that the potential customer is a foreigner/ tourist or a visitor in the city. So before you take a taxi, you may want to consult with a local you trust to make sure you don’t overpay. Unless, as I mentioned before, ride-sharing will be the best bet for you since the fare is calculated in app based on distance, time and other factors and doesn’t discriminate nor inflate the final price.

You can also hire a taxi daily or weekly to take you around to your whereabouts, however, this can get very expensive.

Pros:

Privacy.
No stops, therefore quick way to travel.

Cons:

Prices likely to be inflated to non-knowledgeable visitors/ tourists.
More expensive than the daladala.
Likely to be more expensive than the ride-sharing services.

4. BRT Mwendo-Kasi.

Known as Mwendo kasi, this is the Dar es Salaam city’s bus rapid transport system. The buses have their own dedicated route that run in and out of downtown.

The BRT system, having dedicated routes, is probably the quickest form of public transit system in Dar es Salaam. Most buses are dominantly blue in color. Some of the buses are air conditioned and have TV in them. Also it is cheaper to use the BRT system by purchasing the BRT prepaid card which is tapped at the BRT station before boarding a BRT bus. As of this writing, the fare for the BRT is ranges from Tsh 400 to Tsh 650.

Pros:

Dedicated lanes.
Comfortable during non-rush hours with A/C.

Cons:

Limited routes.
Can get crowded during rush hour.

Dar es Salaam BRT - Mwendokasi — Dar es Salaam BRT – Mwendokasi. Photo courtesy of africa.cgtn.com.

5. Bodaboda.

Bodaboda is a commuter motorcycle. Just like the taxi, the fare is negotiable before the trip. Just like taxis, a visitor or tourist would want to consult with a local so they don’t pay an inflated fare.

With my experience, most bodaboda drivers drive recklessly, so you might try to ride one for the experience, quick and short route, but not as your daily means of transport. Hopefully the bodaboda get fully regulated in the near future and are monitored for safety.

Pros:

Almost never forms traffic.

Cons:

Most drivers drive aren’t necessarily well trained to drive the motorcycle.

Bodaboda East Africa — Bodaboda in East Africa. Image courtesy of azaniapost.com.

6. Dar es Salaam Commuter Train.

The Dar es Salaam commuter train, known as the Treni ya Mwakyembe (Mwakeyembe is the minister who introduced the train) in probably the quickest means of commuting in and out of downtown (central business district) during rush hour. The train currently serves commuters between the city center and Ubungo, and Pugu. It the fastest because it doesn’t form traffic like daladala and taxis, especially during rush hours.

Pros:

Fastest during rush hour.
Timely.

Cons:

Network is small, doesn’t serve majority of towns in the city.
Can get crowded during rush hour.
Doesn’t run all hours during the day and not at night.

Commuting in a foreign city can be confusing at times. If you have any questions regarding traveling and commuting in Dar es Salaam? Feel free to contact us on our contact page by clicking here and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.