Maputo, June 18, 2025 (Lusa) - The Mozambican government has provided 15 buses for the new integrated road and rail transport project in the Maputo metropolitan area, which was launched on Wednesday and aims to ease congestion and ensure better mobility.
“With this project, our vision is to improve urban mobility in the metropolitan area, especially in the cities of Maputo and Matola, where the situation remains critical during rush hour.” We have taken this measure to encourage passengers to use quality, predictable and safe public transport, decongesting stops and access roads, especially during rush hour,” said the Minister of Transport and Logistics, João Matlombe.
The pilot project for the integration of urban public transport launched today in Maputo province aims to combine road and rail transport in the metropolitan area, providing buses in neighbourhoods that can transport passengers to the stations where they will catch the train.
The Minister of Transport explained that the scheme will operate on the basis of the electronic ticketing system already used by the Mozambique Railways (CFM), whereby passengers will use their rechargeable card to access buses, both in their neighbourhood and at Maputo central station, which will distribute passengers to various points in the city.
“Here we have added value and achieved greater integration, reducing the number of tickets that passengers had to pay for before, when they had to make several connections and pay for each one.” Now, with the consolidation of this system, we can see that it is possible to integrate services with a single fare,” said João Matlombe, adding that the buses already have a maintenance plan through the public transport company TPM-TUR, which also manages the vehicles.
“The only card you pay for is the card to take the train. Access to the bus in the neighbourhood is via the card that allows you to take the train to your destination. The same thing happens when you reach your final destination in the city centre. You have to take another bus with the same card, without having to pay any additional amount,” he explained.
Asked about his expectations for the full operation and uptake of the electronic ticketing system by a wider public, in a context where other similar initiatives have already been tested in the country, the Minister of Transport said that this is the most viable model for the Government to subsidise transport for the most vulnerable groups.
"Ticketing is the easiest mechanism for the Government to finance or subsidise passengers who are protected, we are talking about students, the elderly and other social groups (...). Ticketing on the bus system is now a reality, and the advantage for passengers is that they will be able to use the buses using the same mechanism that already existed and is being implemented by the railway company CFM,” he said.
The pilot project for modal transport integration will now be tested along the Ressano Garcia line, but the Government promises to replicate it in the municipalities of Marracuene, Boane and Matola-Rio, all in Maputo province, as well as in the Mozambican capital.
The executive plans to apply a single daily fare within the integrated transport plan in the future, according to the minister, who pointed out that the transport problem, especially in the cities of Maputo and Matola, “requires bold and immediate solutions”.
In 2024, the government moved forward with the possibility of staggering working hours in Maputo, delaying the opening of large supermarkets and retail stores, as well as public services, by one hour to remove 55,000 passengers from the roads.
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