4 buses stranded in Dar es Salaam due to bad fuel

ABOUT 200 passengers were stranded at Ubungo Bus Terminal on Tuesday for about four hours, after it was allegedly that the buses contained adulterated fuel. The vehicles belonged to Sumry Company. Speaking to 'Daily News' at the terminal, several passengers including the drivers of the buses confirmed the incident, saying that the buses failed to take off in the morning as scheduled because they were filled with contaminated fuel. "We came here very early in the morning ready for the journey only to be told that the bus had developed mechanical problems and it will be delayed for several hours," said Josephina Msomi, one of the passengers who was travelling to Iringa. One of the drivers said that the buses were filled up with the contaminated fuel at Lake Oil in Mabibo Station. Some of the buses failed even to go to the petrol station for re-filling. The 'Daily News' witnessed technicians at the terminal removing the adulterated fuels from the buses while passengers sat down waiting in suspense. When contacted for comment, the Manager of Mabibo Lake Oil Station declined to comment, saying that the problem had already been solved between the two. He also refused to mentioned his name saying, "Just state Lake Oil is enough." Some of the buses that were involved in the incident included, Sumry Buses with registration numbers T 333 BCX which plies between Dar es Salaam and Iringa and T 586 AVR from Dar es Salaam to Mtwara. Other buses, according to the Director General, Mr Hamoud Sumry, travel from Dar es Salaam to Arusha and Nachingwea. "Four of our buses were involved in the incident and we had to delay the journeys to remove the adulterated oil," Mr Sumry confirmed. He said the station owners after the incident confirmed that the fuel was contaminated, stating that the problem will be solved between the two companies. "They have confessed that the fuel was contaminated and have agreed to settle everything after the buses return," he added. One of the buses was hired by nurses from all over the country who were going to attend a meeting in Mtwara. The meeting was scheduled to start today. One of the nurses said the government should ensure those involved in the fuel adulteration were severely punished to avoid such incidents in the future.