IN a major step towards improving road safety and restoring public trust in urban transportation, the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) has announced a new plan to ensure all school buses and commuter buses (daladala) are equipped with surveillance cameras.

Speaking at a media workshop in Kibaha, Coast Region yesterday, LATRA Director General Habibu Suluo described the initiative as a “game-changer for safety, discipline and accountability” in Tanzania’s public transport system.

“Every journey should be safe. Every driver should be accountable and every child or passenger should feel secure,” he said. He added: “The initiative which is expected to commence soon, aims to restore public trust and order in the sector.”

He emphasized that the plan reflects the government’s growing commitment to making public and school transport safer, more transparent and accountable. Tanzania’s bustling cities—from Dar es Salaam to Arusha, Mbeya, Mwanza, Dodoma, and others—heavily depend on daladala as the primary mode of daily transport.

However, issues such as reckless driving, overloading, misconduct by conductors and occasional reports of harassment have persisted for years. Some school buses have also faced criticism due to unsafe driving practices and unmonitored interactions among children, raising concern among parents and educators.

“With surveillance cameras installed, we will be able to monitor both driver behaviour and passenger safety. This will also provide evidence in case of accidents, complaints, or misconduct,” Suluo said.

Each bus will be equipped with two cameras—one at the front and one at the back—to ensure full coverage of the vehicle’s interior with owners given freedom to install the cameras by themselves but with close monitoring from the authority.

Johansen Kahatano LATRA’s director of road transport, said commuter buses will be fitted with a Vehicle Tracking System (VTS), an advanced digital tool designed to monitor vehicle movements and prevent unauthorized routes cutting.

Cameras will monitor both the inside and outside of the vehicles where footage will be securely stored and accessible for investigations. “From now, any commuter bus found cutting routes will immediately be installed with VTS while we continue with the plan to roll out the system for all others,” he said.

The VTS is a digital tracking solution designed to provide real-time monitoring of vehicles, ensuring that transportation services comply with national safety and operational standards. There will also be real-time monitoring applied to selected high-risk routes but also mandatory camera installation for all newly registered school and commuter buses.

“This is long overdue,” said Martha Ronald, a mother of two school children in Dar es Salaam. “Every parent worries when their child boards a bus. Cameras will give us peace of mind.”

University student Hassan Mussa said: “Many daladala especially those that ply between city centres and outskirts of the city have made it normal cutting routes, something which affects passengers as many of us live a very difficult life with tight budgets, so hearing the news measures by authority is real soothing.”