ABSTRACT
The Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, introduced to alleviate congestion and improve urban mobility, has been internationally recognised for its accessibility, earning the 2018 Sustainable Transport Award. However, its implementation has triggered significant environmental and socio-economic trade-offs, including the clearance of green spaces and displacement of informal communities. This study employs a three-dimensional sustainability framework and employs document analysis to interrogate the BRT's alignment with global paradigms of digitalisation, decarbonisation and decentralisation. Findings highlight partial decarbonisation gains but limited digital integration and centralised planning processes that have marginalised informal communities and displaced livelihoods raising concerns about the project's sustainability claims. The paper argues for a more inclusive and context-sensitive interpretation of sustainability that foregrounds equity, ecological resilience and governance reform in African urban transport infrastructure planning. It concludes by proposing the participation of informal sectors in planning and decision-making to enhance performance, service quality and user satisfaction.
