News Infrastructures

Senegal to Introduce 1,000 Hybrid Taxis to Restructure Informal Transport Sector

Senegal to Introduce 1,000 Hybrid Taxis to Restructure Informal Transport Sector
Sunday, 30 November 2025 17:35
  • Senegal to deploy 1,000 hybrid taxis under FDTT-BCI SN financing deal

  • Project targets informal sector reform, with 100 taxis arriving February 2026

  • Aims to modernize transport, boost service standards, and cut emissions

Senegal's Land Transport Development Fund (FDTT) and the Bank for Trade and Industry (BCI SN) have signed an agreement to finance and deploy 1,000 hybrid taxis, with a first batch of 100 arriving in February 2026.

The project aims to reshape a sector historically dominated by informal operators and aging vehicles. For the country's authorities, it represents more than just fleet renewal and constitutes a lever for professionalizing and structuring the taxi driver profession.

The financial mechanism is designed to make drivers and owners more creditworthy by offering them a managed acquisition plan with requirements for management, maintenance and technical monitoring. The initiative follows work carried out during the 2024 public transport meetings, which established a comprehensive diagnosis of the sector.

With a population estimated at 3.6 million people by World Population Review, Dakar and its outskirts are dominated by private transport operators, despite investments for the Regional Express Train (TER), the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and the expansion of the public operator Dakar Dem Dikk's bus fleet. According to the Executive Council for Sustainable Urban Transport (CETUD), mobility needs in the Dakar agglomeration reach nearly 7 million daily trips, exerting constant pressure on the urban transport system.

By introducing new hybrid vehicles within a strict contractual framework, the program aims to break with the practices of informal transport, characterized by vehicle aging, operations outside official financial circuits, and low service standardization. For the FDTT, the goal is to create a new generation of transporters capable of integrating fully into the formal sector while strengthening their economic competitiveness and access to finance.

This approach is part of the broader modernization drive undertaken by the state. Faced with a vehicle fleet dominated by imported used cars, the National Mobility Strategy 2025-2029 advocates for the gradual renewal of fleets to improve safety, service quality and environmental performance.

The BRT, the TER, and the urban and intercity bus renewal programs aim to structure public transport along major arteries. The new taxis will complement this system by providing feeder services, local connections and short-distance travel. This coordination is intended to allow for a better distribution of supply and a rationalization of the urban transport landscape. The choice of hybrid vehicles also aligns with the sector's decarbonization objectives.

Henoc Dossa

On the same topic
Kenya has launched an automated traffic management system that issues instant fines detected by smart cameras. Offenders receive notifications by...
ACSA plans $695m upgrade and expansion of Cape Town airport Project includes new runway, terminals and expanded passenger facilities Expansion...
Zambia Railways secures $20m to rehabilitate six locomotives Upgraded locomotives expected back in service between May and December 2026 Project...
Project to modernise 57km Nairobi-Thika corridor and rail systems Plan supports broader strategy including Nairobi BRT expansion The World Bank is...
Most Read
01

Ethio Telecom has signed a new agreement with Ericsson to expand and modernize its telecom netwo...

Ethiopia’s State-Owned Telco Teams Up With Ericsson to Expand and Upgrade Its Network
02

The BCEAO cut its main policy rate by 25 basis points to 3.00%, effective March 16. Inflation...

BCEAO Cuts Key Rate to 3.00% as WAEMU Faces Deflation
03

EIB commits over €1 billion for renewable energy in sub-Saharan Africa Funding supports Miss...

EIB Commits €1 Billion to Renewable Energy Under Africa’s “Mission 300” Initiative
04

Senegal launches 200 billion CFA bond in UEMOA Proceeds to fund 2026 budget, transformation agend...

Senegal Launches $360 Million Regional Bond Sale
05

MTN Zambia tests Starlink satellite service connecting phones directly from space Direct-to...

Satellite direct-to-device telecoms: promise, momentum and hard limits
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.