I use public transport in Mali for everything, esp since I don’t like riding my bike. Here are all the different types of transport we have available:
Big buses: Big buses go to big villages, cities and some other nearby countries. The price depends on where you want to go, but they leave at the same time everyday to certain destinations. Certain bus companies are better than others and known for timely service, and good buses (clean, well-running). However, it is not unusual to get a bad bus: one that leaves hella late, very dirty/dusty, oversold and has customers in the aisles sitting on big plastics containers, stops every 30K, needs to be fixed every 30k, or breaks down completely. If a bus breaks down, the company must send another to get the people, or you can get another company. However, you may not be able to get all or any of your money back. I’ve never had this happen, but it does happen a lot here.
Bashee: Probably not the correct spelling but this is a mini-bus. This is prob the most widely found, widely used mode of transport. Price is set, but the time is not. You can literally stand at the side of the road and find a bashee. There are more or less bashees depending on the road or time of day. Many Malians use the bashee and you can find them coming from almost everywhere there’s a road (dirt or paved). Bashees are usually packed to the brim with people, children, food produce, and/or animals. Luggage is strapped to the top, along with animals, furniture, and/or food produce. They stop all the time to pick up people or let people out. Its takes longer to get to any destination on a bashee then a bus or private car (like Peace Corps transport).
Taxi: These are yellow cars that take you wherever you want to go. They are only in the cities and it’s a 1,000cfa ($2) to get to most destinations. Night travel cost more (less taxis) and long distances. Also, 1-4 people can ride in a taxi for this price. If there are five, the taxi driver may not take you or charge more. (They run the risk of being pulled over by the police for having too many passengers.) The down-side of taxis is that they may not know the place you want to go, even though they say they do. This is a prob for me because I may not know how to get there or give adequate directions. Plus, sometimes they don’t tell you they don’t know where it is; they just pull up somewhere and say “ok, we’re here!” Not cool! J
Moto Taxi: These are moto driven carts. There are car driven carts in the main city. We are allowed to ride these and it only costs about 100cfa (less than $0.25). This is my fav mode of transport. Its inexpensive, the ride is quick and the cart allows los of air to get in. Moto taxi’s have set routes on main roads, and they are only found in cities and big villages.
Motorcycles: Many Malians in cities and village alike have motos and they are fairly cheap to buy (like less than $600). However, no one wears a helmet and they drive pretty reckless most of the time. So Peace Corps forbids us from riding motos at any time; we could be sent home for doing so.
Donkey carts: Carts pulled by one or two donkeys, this transport is found everywhere in Mali. Mostly older people use it or people transporting items within the town or to towns without bashees. I walk faster than these carts most of the time but maybe one day I’ll have to transport something on it.
To leave my village, I take bachee, on a dirt road, for 2-3 hours to the closest large town. Then the road is paved from there to my regional capital and other cities. Although I live in brousse, bachees go in and out of my town everyday. While on the road in, there are germdarme stops and pit stops in certain towns. The transport drivers have to show papers and sometimes pay a fee to the germdarme (a form of police here). At these stops and all the pit stops there are vendors selling fried foods, cold water and drinks and other snacks. Around Markala, in Segou region there is a germdarme stop before the big bridge over the Niger river. Because people fish the river, you can buy fresh fish on the side of the road. At bus stations (gares), there are also boutiki’s (stores) and vendors selling everything from flashlights to purses or children’s clothes/toys.
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