In Lomé, the number of bus cancellations due to regular breakdowns significantly reduces the number of vehicles assigned to the network and their frequency. Indeed, the reduced fleet in a context of strong growth in the demand for travel leads to overloading on all the routes of the Société des Transports de Lomé (SOTRAL) during peak hours. This deterioration in the quality of service causes a great deal of discomfort and inconvenience to passengers who are often the victims of theft and sometimes sexual assault. This situation is very complicated for passengers who, for the most part, cannot afford paratransit services (city taxi or motorcycle taxi). The photo below shows the difficulties that passengers have to endure every day at bus stops.
In Antananarivo, the paratransit minibus system does not have the capacity to absorb the overflow at peak times, which causes huge queues but also many accidents because of the general scramble to get on board as the vehicle departs, given that the entry/exit door is generally located at the rear.
Source : Mémoire de fin d’étude d’Olivier Passoli : Analyse du parc de véhicules de la SOTRAL et stratégie de renouvellement pour optimiser l’offre, p.61
