Nov
24
Filed Under (General) by Rob on 24-11-2009

…is by SOTRAMA:

DSCF7669

You may remember that Cotonou had lots of zemidjans – motorbike taxis – as well as some three-wheeled tuk-tuks. Well, in Bamako, the SOTRAMA (apparently short for Société de Transports Malienne) combines the speed of a conventional taxi with the ventilation and ‘fun factor’ of a tuk-tuk, but at the price of a zemidjan! Add to it the ‘social’ factor – that you can meet strangers, find out their surnames and then mock them for eating beans – then it’s a great way to get around town! I blogged about sotramas on my visit to Bamako in 2008 (click here to read post).

It’s basically a minibus painted green, with the normal seats and the side door removed. Narrow wooden benches are then put all the way round the inside and a chain is put across the open doorway for relative safety! Any make of minibus will do, as long as it’s green, but Toyota and Mercedes seem the most popular. Here’s a photo I took inside one the other day:

DSCF7679

You’ll also notice that – like on a bus or underground train – there are handles on the ceiling to hold onto; very necessary at times, unless you want a head injury (or, worse still, to fall out!) Here’s a wee video someone else took of a sotrama ride in Bamako – and they even overtake THREE other sotramas:


(Fancy turning the camera onto his own face at the end – I’d NEVER do a thing like that!!!)

PRICES are very reasonable; I can travel from near my house over the new bridge into town (about 2 miles) for 150cfa, which is around 20p! And, it’s so accessible, you can even take the kids:

DSCF7666

Finally, here’s a good site in German all about sotramas, for those of you who speak the lingo (or like looking at pictures!) Thanks for reading – leave us a comment!



Comments:
1 Comment posted on "The way to go in Bamako…"
anne on November 25th, 2009 at 5:07 pm #

looks fun, hope they dont travel tooo quickly.