Tanzania’s formerly popular passenger transport company has decided to introduce a new route linking Nairobi and Dar-es-salaam Cities via the Tarakea and Oloitokitok border.
Dar Express, which previously commanded the Dar-es-salaam to Nairobi route via the Namanga border, was forced to drop the course due to dilapidated buses that were no match to new equipment entries from companies like Tahmeed and Kidia One.
Even the Kilimanjaro Express buses that used to commute the Dar-Nairobi route nowadays no longer venture past the Namanga border.
Now Dar Express, which recently also dropped its former Scania fleet and joined the bandwagon of Chinese busses, now becomes the first transport company in East Africa to serve the Dar-es-salaam to Nairobi route through Rombo District.
From the company’s recent announcement it seems like Dar Express will be dispatching a single bus to Nairobi on a daily basis, even if it is just to test the waters.
Transport business along this route usually booms from late November to Mid-January during the Christmas and New Year holiday season, when almost all schools and colleges close, discharging hundreds of students for travel.
Using its Zhongtong Climbers and Golden Dragon bus models, Dar Express will be taking passengers from Dar-es-salaam City to the Tarakea border, in Rombo District then cross the border into Illassit, on the Kenyan side, before taking the Oloitokitok route.
The Buses will then travel from Illassit, Oloitokitok, Kimana, Meru-Ash and Emali, where the road joins the Mombasa-Nairobi highway, then proceed to Sultan Hamud, Machakos and eventually to the River Road section of Nairobi.
Dar Express will travel back on the same route, from Nairobi to Illassit, Oloitokitok, then cross to Tarakea, Usseri, Mashati, Marangu, Himo, Mwanga, Same, Korogwe, Segera, Msata, Bagamoyo and dock at the company’s Shekilango terminal in the city center.
Essentially this is a route which circumnavigates around Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and may even attract leisure travellers especially foreign tourists, even the bus company will care to improve its usually ailing customer service.
There is apparently little competition for Dar Express’ new route as it will only be compelled to race against Tilisho and Esther bus companies for the section between Dar-es-salaam and Rombo, but it will be the only one daring to cross the border into Kenya afterwards.
Tarakea is becoming a hub of transport activities in Tanzania because even buses plying between Dodoma City and Northern Zone regions, such as Shabiby and Machame Express, usually travel to as far as the Rombo border point.
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