Dealing with public transport dissatisfaction. Mobility challenges and adaptations in Dakar, Senegal

Abstract

West African cities are undergoing rapid demographic growth and spatial expansion. The satisfaction of essential needs depends on everyday mobility and the conditions under which it is performed. The majority of the population relies on walking and public transport (PT) services, whether formal or informal. Based on a study conducted in Dakar, Senegal, this paper investigates the difficulties urban dwellers encounter when using PT and how they adapt their travel behavior to overcome these difficulties and fulfill their mobility needs. A mixed method is employed, utilizing a Household Travel Survey carried out in 2015 and 38 semi-structured interviews with Dakar residents conducted in 2022–23. In a context where all PT services have major shortcomings, these deficiencies in the PT system reinforce the difficulties urban dwellers face in their daily travels. They must adjust their trips in real-time by changing mode, time or even destination, or plan their trips in advance in order to have enough money to cover travel expenses or to limit financial and temporal costs. Otherwise, they might be staying at home, which impacts their economic and social integration. Modal choice is thus not determined by the formality or informality of PT modes but by what the modes offer in terms of practical solutions access to the city. These findings emphasize the necessity of considering mobility needs of urban residents into transport public policies.