Several rapid transit buses were attacked by mobs of frustrated passengers following a series of unresolved challenges due to shortages of buses. The incident occurred at around 8 p.m. on October 1, 2025, after a number of passengers were trying to board the few available buses.

“Just kill us, just kill us,” hundreds of passengers shouted at Gerezani bus station as police tried to disperse the crowd by firing warning shots into the air.

The unrest spread to other stations, including Magomeni Mapipa and Kagera, where drivers abandoned their vehicles to escape the angry mob.

The incident occurred only hours after Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila visited Kimara and other routes to apologize to frustrated customers of what many now see as a failing transportation project.

Chalamila’s intervention followed a week of spontaneous protests on the buses, where overcrowded passengers, often hanging from doors, windows, and even roofs, chanted political slogans. Some shouted, “We don’t want CCM,” while others sang in support of jailed opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

“First, we apologize to you. Because we know that no government has bad intentions toward its citizens,” Chalamila told passengers on the morning of October 1.

“I have seen some say we don’t want the CCM party, we don’t want Mama, these are short-term tempers. You can say you don’t want CCM, but at the end of the day, that is not an alternative to buses. What we need to focus on here is not CCM, CHADEMA, or CUF, citizens want to see buses,” he said.

The BRT system’s supported by the World Bank, began construction in 2010. The first phase which is only operational has face significant issues, due to buses limitation. So far the project currently has four  phases in total, costing more than Sh. 1.4 Trillion. Phase one and phase two are the ones that are complete, with three and four under construction.

In June 2025, the government signed a 12-year contract with the Abu Dhabi-based Emirates National Group to operate buses on the route. The company created a local subsidiary, TransDar, which was expected to deploy 177 buses by October 1.

“We have a new service provider called TransDar, and this company is required to bring in 177 new buses. As I speak, they have been given until October 1, 2025, to put their buses on the road for Tanzanians to use,” Chalamila told reporters on July 24, 2025.

However, in his latest remarks, Chalamila blamed production and logistics challenges for the delays, suggesting it could take longer than planned.

As a temporary measure, the government is exploring whether new buses purchased for the yet-to-launch Phase Two route (Mbagala and Temeke) could be deployed to ease the crisis.

Police reported that three people had been arrested in connection with the attacks and said investigations are ongoing.