• Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam wins 2018 Sustainable Transportation Award
• Voith supplies entire rapid transit bus fleet with DIWA.5 transmissions
• Technology delivers sustainability, cost efficiency and passenger comfort

HEIDENHEIM, Germany – Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit (DART) system, which operates its entire 140-bus fleet using DIWA.5 transmissions from Voith Turbo, has become the first African city to win a global award for sustainable mass transit solutions. The prestigious Sustainable Transportation Award was presented by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy at its Mobilize Summit held in Santiago, Chile.

Dar es Salaam’s DART buses are equipped with Voith-engineered DIWA.5 automatic transmissions, designed to withstand the demands of constant shifting and breaking in stop-and-go, inner-city traffic. The advanced DIWA contributes directly to the sustainability of DART, providing efficiency, economy and comfort.

DIWA’s power-split design allows even acceleration across a speed range in which other transmissions need to shift multiple times. This results in a smooth ride for greater passenger and driver comfort. The reduced shifting also means less wear and tear on vehicle mechanical parts and a lower thermal load of the engine cooling circuit.

“We commend the city of Dar es Salaam for its vision and leadership in improving the quality of life for its inhabitants,” said Holger Seefelder, Sales Director for Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East at Voith Turbo. “Voith is thrilled to be part of the solution that expands transportation capacity in an economical and sustainable way. We are in daily contact with our customer and are working very closely with the operator to further improve the service and overall performance and availability of the fleet.”

One of the fastest growing cities in the world and a major economic hub in East Africa, Dar es Salaam introduced its DART bus-rapid transit system in May 2016. With an initial fleet of 140 buses, DART was able to serve 150,000 passengers per day, significantly easing commute times and enhancing public safety. By the middle of 2018, the system will be fully operational with more than 300 buses and projected to carry 400,000 passengers per day.

Thanks to the success of this project and continuous improvement in on-site service, the customer’s next 70 buses will again be equipped with Voith’s DIWA transmission.

Voith Turbo, a Group Division of Voith, is a specialist for intelligent drive solutions, systems and comprehensive services. Customers from highly diverse industries such as oil and gas, energy, rail and commercial vehicles, ship technology, mining and mechanical engineering rely on the advanced technologies and solutions-driven expertise of Voith Turbo.

Voith is a global technology group. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of €4.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe.