Latra to invest in ICT systems to boost revenue to Sh40.1 billion

Dar es Salaam. The Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Latra) expects information and communications technology (ICT) systems to increase revenue by 17.35 percent during the current financial year.

The authority aims to collect Sh40.1 billion in the 2023/24 financial year, up from Sh34.17 billion in the previous fiscal year.

The land transport regulator said that key on its agenda will be to boost investments in areas that will stimulate revenue growth, including e-ticketing, taximeter systems, electronic inspection cameras, vehicle tracking systems (VTS), and railway and road information management systems (RRIMS).

“We are very optimistic about our target, and we will reach it because we collaborate well with various stakeholders. We want to go digital, so this year we will invest in huge IT systems,” said the Latra director general, Mr Habibu Suluo, who added that its e-ticketing system has contributed to increasing revenue for the government and bus owners alike.

Mr Suluo was speaking during a meeting with editors and journalists from various media organisations in an initiative championed by the Treasury Registrar, Mr Nehemiah Mchechu, in his effort to ensure that public entities come out and tell the public how their institutions are performing.

The taximeter seeks to bring all taxi operators to a single platform so that their operations become known. As such, when a passenger hires, it will start showing the kilometres covered and the cost, thereby helping the government get its revenue easily.

Meanwhile, the RRIMS will link all service providers, including ride-hailing operators and upcountry bus conductors, among others, with the aim of ensuring that customers pay the fares according to regulations and not otherwise. The Transport ministry, Mr Suluo said, has already approved the system.

He stated that the VTS system will be improved further, saying that since its inception in 2017, it has helped to reduce road accidents by more than 50 percent.

 “We will improve even more, especially now that the upcountry buses are running 24 hours a day.  The goal is to track as well as identify the driver,” he explained.

In another development, the acting director for railway regulation, Mr Hanya Mbawala, said plans to introduce cable cars, which will also be regulated by Latra, have gained momentum as a number of investors have been flocking to the regulator to seek modalities.