Transport in Senegal

Senegal's transport system is fragmented but offers several formal services alongside transport artisanal, shared vehicles and informal local services. CETUD organizes and regulates public urban transport in Dakar and Thiès, including traffic and parking since 2022. AGEROUTE manages the classified road network, while ANASER works on road safety and accident analysis. Police, gendarmerie and transport authorities carry out checks. The classified road network measured 16,481 kilometres in 2024, including 6,569 kilometres of paved roads and 9,912 kilometres of unpaved roads. About 79% of paved roads and 50% of unpaved roads were rated good or medium. Vehicle ownership is concentrated in Dakar, which accounted for more than 65% of vehicles in 2021, followed by Thiès at 12.2%, Diourbel at 4.8% and Kaolack at 3.3%. This concentration contributes to congestion and gives Dakar a much denser transport network than many other regions. Dakar's urban services include Dakar Dem Dikk, AFTU buses, cars rapides, Ndiaga Ndiaye minibuses, clandos and formal yellow-and-black taxis. Clandos operate informally and may not have a formal concession. DDD also provides intercity and international bus services. Published examples for intercity journeys range from about 2,000 to 13,000 FCFA, depending on the destination and service. DDD reservations are available through its application, ticket offices or call centre. The DDD Express to AIBD operates around the clock and costs 6,000 FCFA for a single journey according to published service information. SunuBRT provides a formal bus service on an 18-kilometre reserved corridor with 23 solar-powered stations and 121 fully electric articulated buses. Line B1 connects Guédiawaye and Petersen daily, usually at about six-minute intervals. Line B2 operates from Monday to Saturday with seven stations and a similar interval. A journey costs 400 FCFA within one zone and 500 FCFA across two or three zones. Thirty-day passes cost 17,000 or 22,000 FCFA, with reduced prices of 14,000 or 18,000 FCFA for people under 25. A QR ticket remains valid for one hour. Children under four travel free when accompanied. Households registered in the RNU and people with disabilities holding a CEC can receive a 50% social fare reduction. Personal cards require an identity document or passport; a minor's card is linked to a legal representative. Priority seats serve older people, pregnant passengers and people with disabilities. The TER links Dakar and Diamniadio over about 36 kilometres and serves 13 stations. From Monday to Saturday, trains generally run every ten minutes from 5:30 to 21:00 and every twenty minutes until 22:00. On Sundays and public holidays, the usual interval is about twenty minutes from 6:30 to 22:00. Published single fares are 1,500 FCFA in second class and 2,500 FCFA in first class. A Sama TER card costs 1,000 FCFA and is nominative, with identity details and a photograph. Passengers may take two suitcases and hand luggage. No current regular passenger service between Dakar and Bamako is established; outside the TER, an active direct rail equivalent is not currently evidenced. For longer journeys within Senegal, road and bus transport remain the main options. Sénégal Dem Dikk and Afrique Dem Dikk serve national connections, while local bus stations, taxis and clandos are especially relevant outside Dakar and Thiès. Adults using an intercity DDD service need an identity document. A minor generally needs an extract of a birth certificate or parental authorization. The standard baggage allowance is 15 kilograms, with excess baggage charged at about 300 FCFA per kilogram. Schedules can change with seasons and events, so the current service information should be checked before departure. AIBD near Diass is the main international aviation platform. In 2024 it recorded 29,933 flight movements, 3,011,067 passengers and 39,922 tonnes of freight. Travelers can reach the airport with DDD Express or by taking the TER to Diamniadio and continuing with a connecting service. The public ferry between Dakar and Gorée runs several times on working days from about 6:15 and later, and from about 7:00 on Sundays and public holidays. The resident Senegal return fare is 1,500 FCFA for an adult and 500 FCFA for a child. COSAMA's Aline Sitoé Diatta provides an overnight Dakar–Ziguinchor sea connection, with a Dakar departure at 20:00 and return departures from Ziguinchor on Thursday and Sunday at 13:00. Published fares vary by category from about 5,000 to 26,500 FCFA. Senegal drives on the right. Vehicles keep right when meeting each other and overtake on the left. The road traffic code, including Law No. 2022-04 of 15 April 2022 and related implementing rules, requires a valid licence for the vehicle category, seat belts in equipped seats and an approved helmet for motorcycles, tricycles, quadricycles and mopeds. Drivers may not use a hand-held phone. Speed, direction, overtaking and lane rules apply, and public transport was subject to a 90-kilometre-per-hour maximum under a 2023 government measure. Technical inspections and vehicle documents also matter. The legal framework provides for automated detection of offences such as missing seat belts, phone use, wrong direction, speeding and unsafe overtaking. Road safety remains a serious transport issue. ANASER figures cited for 2025 indicate about 5,200 crashes, 8,500 injuries and 745 deaths per year, with human error, speed, fatigue and risky overtaking among frequently identified causes. TER tracks must never be crossed. Passengers should also keep tickets, booking details and identity documents consistent because incorrect information can affect access to a service. Walking is widely used in Senegal. Cycling is mainly informal or emerging, and no complete national network of cycle lanes is established. Dakar's PMUD transport strategy and MoVe initiatives support walking and cycling measures, including shared-bicycle pilots and a green corridor, with a target of 170 kilometres of cycle facilities by 2034. PMUD Dakar 2035 also seeks to reduce congestion, motorization and emissions through a stronger public-transport network and active travel. SunuBRT's electric buses and solar-powered stations support that direction, while CETUD's STMES 2026 work addresses the transition to electric mobility. Older vehicle fleets, congestion and road traffic remain the main sources of transport-related environmental pressure.