For more than three decades, night travel by long-distance buses in Tanzania was little more than a memory.
From the early 1990s, security concerns forced buses to operate strictly during daylight hours, compelling passengers to halt journeys by evening and resume the next day.
That long-standing restriction, however, was quietly but decisively dismantled in 2023—ushering in what transport regulators describe as a new chapter in mobility, safety and economic efficiency.
At the centre of this shift is the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA), which on October 1, 2023 officially began issuing schedules allowing inter-regional and cross-border buses to operate 24 hours a day.
In an interview with The Respondents Online, Salum Pazzy, LATRA’s Head of Public Relations and Communications, says the move stands as one of the authority’s proudest milestones.
“One of the achievements we are most proud of is the reintroduction of 24-hour bus travel for regional and cross-border routes,” Pazzy said. “This is a service that had been suspended for over 30 years due to security challenges.”
The policy shift traces back to June 28, 2023, when then Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced the government’s intention to lift the restriction.
What followed was months of coordination between LATRA, the police force and other stakeholders to ensure that safety—once the reason for the ban—would not again become a liability.
By the time the policy took effect, Pazzy said, LATRA had opted for caution over speed.
“We made this decision very carefully,” he noted. “The main reason night travel was stopped in the 1990s was insecurity. So this time, safety had to be the foundation.”
To that end, LATRA introduced strict operational conditions. Only buses meeting enhanced safety standards could qualify. All drivers must be verified, digitally registered and connected to LATRA’s Vehicle Tracking System (VTS).
They are also required to use an electronic driver identification device, commonly known as the I-button, which monitors driving hours and helps prevent fatigue.
Through these systems, LATRA can track buses in real time, monitor driver behaviour and intervene when necessary. According to Pazzy, the rollout began in phases but has since expanded nationwide.
Beyond safety, the impact of round-the-clock bus services is increasingly visible in Tanzania’s economic rhythm.
“We are living in a changing world,” Pazzy said. “In many countries, especially developed ones, cities do not sleep. Even here in Tanzania, places like Dar es Salaam operate 24 hours—Kariakoo market is a clear example.”
Previously, the inability to travel at night posed significant challenges for traders and professionals. Pazzy illustrated this with a familiar scenario: a trader from Mbeya heading to Dar es Salaam.
“In the past, this trader would close his shop, travel during the day, arrive in Dar at night, sleep, shop the next day, sleep again, and only travel back on the third day,” he explained. “That meant three days lost and at least two nights in a hotel.”
Today, the same trader can work through the day, travel at night, arrive in Dar es Salaam in the morning, complete purchases and return home the same evening—saving both time and accommodation costs.
The same flexibility now applies to job seekers, students and families responding to emergencies. “Someone called for a job interview can now travel at night and attend the interview the next day, then return immediately,” Pazzy said.
According to LATRA, the benefits are not only economic but also social. Passengers have largely welcomed the service, while the authority has gained an additional regulatory tool.
Buses that violate safety regulations risk losing their night travel permits—an incentive that has encouraged compliance.
The policy has also eased pressure during peak travel seasons. In previous years, end-of-year holidays were marked by ticket shortages, inflated fares and overcrowded terminals.
Since the introduction of 24-hour services, those challenges have significantly declined.
“From 2024 to last year, we did not experience major congestion,” Pazzy said. “Efficiency has improved.”
Ironically, spreading departures across the clock has also reduced dangerous competition among drivers. When all buses departed at the same morning hour, speeding and reckless driving were common as drivers raced to arrive first.
“That situation contributed to accidents,” Pazzy said. “Now buses depart in shifts throughout the 24 hours, and even accident numbers have gone down.”
Recent studies, supported by police data, suggest that night travel may be safer than daytime travel, with most minor accidents occurring during the day.
The transition, however, was not without challenges. Social services along highways—such as rest stops and food facilities—were initially ill-prepared for midnight demand. Drivers also needed time to adapt to LATRA’s digital systems.
“But now services have improved,” Pazzy said. “Drivers understand the systems and use them comfortably.”
Today, all buses must be registered on LATRA’s VTS platform, while passengers can track their journeys through digital applications.
The system has also reduced ticket price manipulation by eliminating middlemen, ensuring that operators receive payments directly and passengers pay regulated fares.
For the government, the data generated offers unprecedented oversight—tracking passenger numbers, routes, travel durations and sector performance.
Bus operators say the change has transformed business. Sarafina Jacob, an agent at Abood Bus Services, said night travel has attracted more customers, particularly traders.
“Clients arrive on time, especially businesspeople who travel at night, work during the day and return the same evening,” she said.
Routes from Mwanza, Bukoba, Katavi and Kigoma are now predominantly night routes, allowing passengers to travel immediately when emergencies arise.
Passengers echo similar sentiments. Richard Wilbert, a 43-year-old timber trader from Dar es Salaam, recalls missing opportunities in the past due to rigid schedules.
“In 2019, I had an urgent issue in Iringa early in the morning,” he said. “I had to wait until the next day to get a bus.”
Today, he enjoys a wide range of options—early morning, afternoon, evening or deep-night departures.
“Choices are many, and the stress of missing a bus is gone,” he said, praising the government’s decision.
For Everine Peter, a 24-year-old resident of Karatu, night travel made the difference between attending a job interview—or missing it altogether.
“I travelled from Karatu last night and arrived in Dar this morning for an interview at 2pm,” she said shortly after alighting from the bus. “In the past, I would have had to start the journey two days earlier.”
She already held a return ticket for the same night.
As Tanzania’s transport sector evolves, the reintroduction of 24-hour bus travel stands as a reminder that policy shifts—when anchored in technology, safety and coordination—can quietly but profoundly reshape daily life.