Public Transport Service Reliability in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania: A Case of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

Abstract

The main problems of BRT service users are delays and overcrowding at stations and in buses during peak hours. This situation causes low region productivity, accidents, insecurity, poor students’ academic performance and increased health risks. The objective of the study was to analyze the satisfaction of passengers with BRT service reliability. Case study design with mixed approach for data collection and analysis was adopted. A total of 138 respondents represented the relevant study population. The study revealed that more than 70% of the respondents showed dissatisfaction on schedule adherence caused by inadequate bus supply, ineffective ticketing systems, ineffective bus scheduling, bus breakdowns and accident, poor passenger information, weather conditions, drivers’ behavior and traffic interactions. It is recommended that the service provider (BRT) should supply sufficient buses, build staff capacity and implement Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for management of its services.