Improved Business Model for Commuter Bus transport in Urban Areas Using Electronic Ticketing and Cashless Payment Machines: The Case of Public Transport in Dar es Salaam City

Abstract

There are different means of public transport that are used in urban areas. The common inland means include Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Commuter Rail Transport (CRT) and Commuter Bus Transport (CBT). This study focused on CBT because it is widely used in developing countries, Tanzania inclusive. However, the existing business model of CBT has proven to be ineffective, leading to poor performance. In particular, the study explored the efficacy of CBT business model in Dar es Salaam City, the underlined motives being to generate the empirical knowledge that could inform the pathway for improvements. The study was essentially qualitative in-terms of the research approach. Research findings indicated that the existing business model is largely oriented to hand cash micro-business. Findings confirmed that the existing model could be improved by using electronic ticketing and cashless payment machines. The study concludes that improvement of CBT through the improved business model has the potential to ultimately improve public transport, leading to minimisation of traffic congestion in urban areas. That could be achieved through organization of the private commuter bus operators to establish commuter bus operation companies, introduction of electronic ticketing, cashless payment machines and improvement of the working environments.

Key words: Commuter Bus Transport, Public Transport, Urban Transport