The afternoon trips for the direct shuttle bus services plying between Arusha and Nairobi have resumed after more than five years’ hiatus.
Shuttle buses had dropped their afternoon schedules in 2020 following the global Covid-19 pandemic which saw most people cancelling travel plans and others reducing the frequencies of their safaris.
With few passengers buying tickets, the shuttle bus operators limited their regular services from two trips in a day, to just a single morning schedule, scraping off the afternoon buses.
Morning shuttles usually depart from either venue at 8.00 am while the afternoon cars leave at 2.00 pm.
It costs USD 20 per one way trip charged at 50,000/- in Tanzanian currency.
But now five years later, in the post-pandemic time, the leading shuttle operator, the Riverside buses, have officially announced the restoration of the afternoon schedules, following an increase of passengers.
The Tanzania Times went to the Mezza Luna area, the starting point for the Nairobi bound shuttles, as well as the Jevanjee Gardens in Nairobi and witnessed the midday buses leaving, but not to their usual full capacity seating.
“Operators are resuming afternoon services to simply maintain their presence on the road as there is still shortage of passengers,” stated one of the ticket agents at the station in Arusha.
There are at least four inter-city shuttle commuters, serving the Arusha-Nairobi via Namanga route, among them Impala, Northern and Riverside, with others linking Moshi to Nairobi, via Arusha and Namanga. Most of these have also re-introduced afternoon buses as well.
The Naekana Sacco, the famous Matatu Operator in Kenya is also now providing shuttle services between Nairobi and Moshi, in Kilimanjaro but taking the alternative Marangu, Mashati, Tarakea, Oloitokitok and Emali route.
Still, the resumption of the afternoon shuttle services between Arusha and Nairobi is not necessary filling any vacuum, because during their absence, the slot was filled by larger bus companies, such as BM Coach, Dar Express, Kidia One and Tahmeed, all of which link Arusha with Nairobi as part of their longer routes serving between Dar-es-salaam, Kampala and Nairobi Cities.
Recently, the Tanzanian Government lifted the ban of night travel for passenger buses which meant the route is also served 24-hours.
Using buses, one can leave Nairobi or Arusha at any time of the day, morning, noon, evening and even night, which means the afternoon shuttles weren’t exactly missed during the absence.
Plus, according to observers, shuttles may be more comfortable, depending on the seat one is occupying (avoid the rear ones), but they are also essentially slower and usually force the usual deviations into curio shops, something which irks most passengers.
“Nobody in his or her clear mind would choose to shop along the hot highway, if one needs anything he or she would have already bought that in either Arusha or Nairobi,” lamented one of the Shuttle passengers.
Sometimes the shuttle vehicles, mostly Toyota Coaster, Mitsubishi Rosa or Nissan Civilian minibuses, would make detours into terminals such as airports, aerodromes, hotels or lodges, inconveniencing other travelers who happen to be in a hurry.