The government says the changes came after considering the views of stakeholders in the transport sector, as well as improvement in infrastructure and security.

While announcing the move in parliament, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the ban was imposed in the 1990s following a rise in road accidents and hijacking of buses.

He has now directed the relevant authorities to work to “establish a procedure to be followed by the owners and drivers of passenger buses who intend to transport passengers at night”.

The lifting of the ban, which is expected to stimulate growth in the transport sector, has been welcomed by the association of Tanzanian bus owners.