Current mobility system in Dakar

Dakar area is concentrating most of Senegal’s administrative, political, economic and cultural activities. With approximately 3.1 million inhabitants in 2013, Dakar region is home to about 25% of the country's total population over only 0.3% of the country area. Demographic projections anticipate 5 million inhabitants in the capital region by 2030, a growth rate twice as high as over the past thirty years.

Walking is the predominant mode of transport in the capital region: on weekdays, 70% of the trips are made entirely on foot. Among motorized transport, 80% of the trips are made by public transport, AFTU minibuses (“Tatas”) being the predominant public transport offer (35% of trips by public transport, on weekdays).

The current transport system in Dakar is inefficient: although planned in the short term, there is currently no mass public transport offer in the Senegalese capital and the current public transport offer, implemented by many operators - public operator Dakar Dem Dikk, AFTU operators, informal minibuses Cars Rapides and Ndiaga-Ndiaye, “clando” taxis - suffer from a lack of organization. This situation leads to many negative externalities, which will worsen with the anticipated increase of private vehicles: traffic jams, air pollution, poor road safety, poor road conditions and high transport costs for households.

Since 1992, Senegal has engaged in an active transport sector reform. The « Conseil Exécutif des Transports Urbains de Dakar » (CETUD) was set up in 2007 with a mandate to implement and monitor the urban mobility policy for Dakar area.  In 2007, a first urban mobility plan was adopted, covering Dakar area and prioritizing several mass transport projects. Among them, two major projects are currently under implementation:

• In the north area: BRT line between the city center and Guédiawaye (BRT “red” line);

• In the south area: Express Regional Train line, between the city center and the urban area of Diamniadio, via Pikine and Thiaroye, on the existing rail corridor of the “Petit Train de Banlieue”

In addition, several minibus renewal programs have already been implemented by CETUD and AFTU, with the support of PAMU and PATMUR programs funded by the World Bank. These programs, which started in the early 2000s, enabled the introduction of a distribution mechanism of public transport fixed routes among minibus operators as well as agreed official transport fares. The programs entail also a technical assistance and training sessions for operators and drivers. In addition, the programs enabled the establishment of various structures supporting the professionalization of AFTU informal operators.

MobiliseYourCity support to Dakar

MobiliseYourCity is supporting the Conseil Executif des Transports Urbains de Dakar (CETUD) in the evaluation of the 2007 urban mobility plan and the elaboration of a new Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) towards 2035.

This support is funded by the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM) and is implemented with the support of the Agence Française de Développement.

Dakar SUMP achievement is planned for mid-2021.