Transportation Part II: Taxi-Be, Pousse-Pousse, and Taxi-Brousse

In a previous blog about taxis in Tana, I foreshadowed that there are other means of transporting oneself around Madagascar and, more specifically, Antananarivo. I unfortunately confess that unlike my veteran experience with taxis that produces a plentitude of comical stories, I don’t have much or any experience with the following means of transportation, the reasons for which I will explain.

The bottom line is that taxis are too expensive for the average Malagasy citizen. Madagascar is the 4th poorest country in the world, on average. Most people live on an average of $45 a month across the whole country. That amount increases in wealthier parts of the country, like here in Tana, but not by that much. The reality remains that a 10,000MGA taxi, which is about $2.50, is a lot for people. The more efficient way for the average Malagasy to move about Tana is either to walk or take one of the plentiful routes on the intricate yet primitive bus system known as taxi-be.

It’s not quite a bus system like we think. The roads here are not large enough for what we would consider normal buses. Instead, they rely on large make-shift vans. Taxi-be (pronounced taxi-bay) actually means big or large taxi. There are literally thousands of these taxi-be driving around the city and stopping at seemingly random points. But there is a route system that drivers follow although there is no timetable. That doesn’t really matter though. The next taxi-be is usually not far behind. Now whether it is the right one or not is unpredictable.

There is no ticket system in how we think about it. Two people run the taxi-be. There is, of course, a driver in front and a man in the back who opens the back door and takes people in. The process goes like this. The taxi-be rolls by and barely slows down or stops at a stop. The guy in the back opens the door and starts yelling out a bunch of things. Stressed syllables are important in Malagasy, so when the guys yell out, it usually sounds like a bunch of gibberish with random inflections here and there. If you listen closely, you can hear the taxi-be guys in the background of this video I took at l’Avenue.

Anyways, people rush, sometimes run and push each other out of the way actually, to get onto the taxi-be. They hand the man a few hundred ariary (MGA) and hop on as the taxi-be starts driving off, whether the passenger is onboard or not. There’s one flat fee no matter how far you travel, which is why it is the least expensive way to travel in the city.

Unfortunately, the US Embassy has given us strict instructions not to use the taxi-be. We could, but taxi-be are hotspots for pickpocketing. And honestly, it would take too long and would be too stressful to figure it all out. But watching it all play out is rather interesting.

Another way to get around, if necessary, is the pousse-pousse, which means in French “push-push”. It’s a rather ridiculous name considering pousse-pousse are actually hand-pulled carriages. We had a good laugh about it during orientation when our Malagasy colleagues said they weren’t sure why they called it a push-push when you really pull it. I suggested that maybe they’ve been doing it wrong the whole time and that you were really meant to push it. They thought my joke was quite comical.

I’m not really sure how much it would cost to ride one. I’ve only ever really seen them carrying goods and other materials. However, when we had flooding a few months ago, there was one pulling people across knee-deep water. I was not there to witness it, but Megan told me about how she paid the pousse-pousse man a few hundred, hopped on board with other passengers, and was carried across the water to the other side like genuine royalty. My hope is to avoid such travel measures in the future. I also asked my Malagasy colleagues how much they thought it would cost for a pousse-pousse to a Mahajanga, a city in the north which takes about 12-hours via taxi-brousse. They looked me like I was crazy. They understood the joke and played along, wondering if I was trying to reinstitute slavery in Madagascar. We had a good laugh theorizing what a ridiculous thing it would be.

As far as leaving the city of Tana, there are a few means. Domestic flights are available but expensive and unreliable. The train has been out of operation for passengers for a while now. So the best way is either hired car or taxi-brousse. I have no idea what taxi-brousse translates to in English, but it is generally the same concept as a taxi-be but for long distance travel. They are large vans that you buy tickets for in advance. If you want extra leg room, you can buy two seats. They toss your luggage on top and tie it up. Once it’s time to go, or maybe 30min later, it is Madagascar after all, the taxi-brousse leaves the station and heads out to whatever town you’re headed for. There isn’t much to it. There are cheap ones and expensive ones ranging from comfortable to unbearable. That’s just the way it is.

And this about summarizes transportation in Madagascar. Like I said before, you can hire cars and drivers from certain companies. Something we do if we are leaving the city, and these fares come in a wide range depending on the type of vehicle and how long. I have joked with others that maybe one day I will find a pousse-pousse man and offer to spend the day with him, just to see what it is like. But after being here for a while, I think I have seen enough to know it is not quite the occupation I would enjoy long-term. I think it would be best if I find another way to get involved in the community. And as far as transportation in the city goes, I’ll take the privacy of a normal taxi over a crowded taxi-be any day.

As always, know that you are in my prayers each morning. All I ask is that you do the same for me.

May God be praised.