Simon Group Limited has reaffirmed its commitment to transform transport sector in Dar es Salaam City despites the ongoing campaign by selfish business competitors to thwart current and planned investments in Usafiri Dar es Salaam (UDA) in order to monopolize the business.
According to a statement issued by the UDA management, plans are underway to make Dar es Salaam an easy to commute City, by working closely with the government and City officials.
“We have seen articles circulating in various social and print media, championed by a group of people calling themselves ‘Consortium of Concerned Tanzanians International’, trying to make people believe that whatever investment we are pumping into transforming transportation system in Dar es Salaam through UDA is a needless,” read part of the statement signed by the company chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert Kisena.
“This is a very disappointing move. We are trying to transform transport in Dar es Salaam from chaos to comfort through increasing number of vehicles as well as improved services delivery, while others are busy campaigning to make sure that these goals are not reached,” he said.
He said his Company decided to invest in UDA after it was placed up for privatization, because Simon Group Limited wanted to bring a reasonable change in transport system within Tanzania’s cosmopolitan and Commercial City in terms of service delivery in commuter bus business.
“The transformation is well stipulated in our short and long term plans, which shows how we plan to influence this change step by step. Within our plan, we have also stated how we plan to engage the Government and the City in trying to incorporate their Dar es Salaam transport master plan. This is what I believe patriotism is all about –working with your Government to provide better services to its citizen,” Kisena said.
The CEO mentioned that the Company’s ambitious expansion plan is still intact, whereby it projects to have more than 3000 commuter buses and 50 smart/executive buses - with full air conditioner and wireless internet - operation in Dar es Salaam.
He said alongside this expansion plan, the Company will continue to uphold its policy of recruiting local professional contrary to bringing expatriates in jobs that Tanzanians can handle.
“Simon Group Limited is a Company fully owned by Tanzanians. In that accord, I will be the last person to accept an expatriate to be employed in a position which can be handled by my fellow Tanzanian. If we don’t find a qualified Tanzanian, we will bring an expatriate to train a local officer who will take over the position. Our Company is doing this as a way of empowering our local people, both in terms of skills and economically,” he said.
He estimated that in order to maintain and operate 3,000 buses in the future around 7,800 people will need to be trained and recruited.
Mr. Kisena said that once his plans are fully implemented, the current social stigma attached to using public transport will be no more and people will start parking their cars out of City center, buy their UDA E-tickets hence easing congestion in Dar es Salaam.
“I wanted just to assure all Tanzanians and those perpetuating this campaign that UDA’s plan to improve transportation system in Dar es Salaam is achievable. We will work closely with the Government and the City to see to it that Dar es Salaam residents find an affordable, reliable and sure public transport,” he said.
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