Amendments to Private Hire Services in Tanzania

On 3 December 2021, the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Private Hire Services) (Amendment) Regulations G.N. 795 of 2021 (the Amendment Regulations) became operational. The Amendment Regulations amend the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (Private Hire Services) Regulations G.N. 78 of 2020 (the Principal Regulations).

In this update, we provide an overview of the key amendments to the Principal Regulations. Below is a summary of the key amendments made by the Amendment Regulations. The Principal Regulations apply to all ride hailing operators, ride hailing service providers and ride sharing service providers in Tanzania:

• increased capacity of public hire vehicles from 15 to 30 passengers;
• licensees to refund passengers within 24 hours if the pre-paid service has not been carried out;
• issuance of electronic tickets to passengers upon payment of the fare;
• introduction of penalty for contravening the Amendment Regulations;
• introduction of annual fees for local and foreign special hire vehicle licensees and foreign ride sharing operators; and
• offences and penalties for private hire services licensees i.e. failure to comply with any other conditions that may be determined by LATRA, failure to display a licence in a conspicuous place on the left side of the wind mirror of the vehicle, etc.   

Key definitions under the Principal Regulations include:

• Authority means the LATRA established under section 4 of the Land Transport Regulatory Act No. 3 of 2019.
• Licensee means a person who is issued with a private hire licence.
• Private hire licence means a licence for private hire service issued by the Authority to the owner of a motor vehicle for a purpose specified in such licence.
• Ride hailing operator means a person who owns and manages a ride hailing platform.
• Ride hailing service provider means a person subscribing to the ride hailing platform for the purpose of providing private hire service and include a specific vehicle licensed for provision of private hire service.
• Ride sharing service provider means a person subscribing to the ride sharing platform for the purpose of providing private hire service.

The Amendment Regulations amend some of the provisions of the Principal Regulations are provided in more detail below.

Download the key amendments here

Please refer to our previous legal update for background on the role of the Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA).

Conclusion

The Amendment Regulations have provided some clarity on this developing sector in Tanzania. Should you require any further information, please contact Peter Kasanda, Aliko Simon, Margareth Maganga or Esther Kilimba.