Le Carre Rapide

After a few interesting experiences with public transportation recently, I thought it only fitting to make a post about the carre rapide. If you have been keeping up you should know that my taxi on Tuesday evening broke down midway to my house and the driver had to push us to a nearby gas station. Well, I’ve just been weary of all public transportation now. 

Taxis are yellow and black here!

Plus, I didn’t take a carre this morning but the bigger white bus - Ndiaga Ndiaye. It was quite a risky drive – once the bus completely stopped in the middle of the road – this may be happening too often to me lol. I was right behind the driver’s seat and I could tell he was cursing at the bus. It seemed to me that he was also having gear trouble because when people were tapping on the bus to get off at their stop, he was hitting the gear stick (not gently pushing it) quite a couple times before the bus would come to a stop. Luckily, I got out of that bus at my stop safe and sound. Tsk tsk tsk, public transportation here.

This is how the inside of the bigger white buses look - empty version haha

No matter what happens, I still need to take some form of public transportation – there is only so much walking I can do (Today I walked 40 minutes to Wolof class in another part of town).

I work at an orphanage, La Poupponiere de La Medina, run by Franciscan sisters just a few minutes’ drive from where I live with my host family. The first week that I worked, my host mom carried me to work and picked me up because she was on the roads at those times. But for the last two weeks, I wasn’t so lucky. It was time to learn the streets of Dakar and take public transportation.

I could always take a taxi to and from the orphanage, but on a student budget (unknowingly, I did not request enough taxi funds from Grinnell) I decided to take a cheaper alternative: The Carre Rapide.

Can you spot the carre?

  

When I first heard “carre”, I thought it was a car - maybe like an unofficial taxi. Nope. They are actually buses and named “rapide” for their speed. I don’t quite agree with the speed aspect, because taking a taxi takes a much shorter time but let’s go with the theme.

These buses are very interestingly coloured to say the least with yellow paint and writing all over in bright hues of red and blue. If just the outside of the bus isn’t enough to intrigue you – try getting inside.

Yellow and Blue Carre - They usually have the words "Transport En Commun" on the sides

These buses were first used to carry market goods from the villages to the markets, but now carry human passengers. There is only one entrance at the back of the bus, which is always open. The swinging door is held by a rope so it doesn’t swing a full 180 degrees into oncoming traffic.

There will always be one or two Senegalese teenagers or men called “apprenti” in Wolof who hang on to the bus from the back of the door. They are the ones who do the ‘marketing’ by whistling to pedestrians and calling out the final destination for the carre to attract those who need to go there or have a stop before.

An apprenti hanging from the back of the carre

There is no need to fear a carre rapide – just hop on from the back and take a seat – if it is full, hang on for dear life to the railing above (no biggie). If the carre is full, the driver doesn’t wait very long for those embarking or disembarking so you are jerked as soon as you step in. Looking down isn’t a very good start as you can often see the road through the little holes in the floor boards. After all, this isn’t luxury travel but the ply will do enough to keep you in the carre itself – so who cares?

The real fun is sticking your head through the windows, that is if you are lucky enough to get a seat. If you manage to squeeze in at a window seat at that – then feel free to stick your head out. There is no glass – not sure if there ever used to be, but none of the windows have glass, just the bare window. It is much better to get fresh air from outside – maybe not so fresh, with all the fumes of the many vehicles on the main road – but there is always some sea breeze in circulation.

Also the back is a great spot for some breeze because the door is always open ;)

Apart from the heat as a result of the general climate of Dakar, taking a carre rapide is really not that bad. It is pretty entertaining in fact. It is very important to know where your stop is and so it forces you to get to know the streets of Dakar.

To disembark, they are things in Wolof that people say – exactly what that is I don’t know. I usually just poke the apprenti or mumble to the apprenti “Je veux descendre” hoping he understands my French, or more commonly just make a gesture pointing outside. This has worked for me so far, so I am quite pleased with my management of travelling by carre rapide. When the carre stops, or better yet when the carre slows down, you better hop off before it speeds off again.

Perfect example of a man hopping off a carre

Yes, the bus is terribly rickety but many people take it all the time and they survive – I’ve done it too and I am alive to tell the tale. Just have your money ready – 100CFA coin usually covers my travel – not that you’ll need it to enter. You can enter without paying, but after the apprenti comes around and asks for the money, usually in Wolof, I just give him the coin and say my destination. It is always best to have the exact change, because they don’t like to give change to those who look like they don’t know the cost of their trip. I try my hardest to look all Senegalese and put on my don’t-mess-with-me stare and all… but my complexion and inability to understand Wolof is usually a hint that I am just a foreigner. Apart from the one hostile experience with the apprentis who were insisting I travel in their carre, I haven’t had much problems, more often, just questioning stares.

This was a very happy me the first day I tried The Carre Rapide and the Ndiaga Ndiaye

Yes, yes, my mode of transport – Trust me, the idea of taking this bus alone was so peculiar at first, I can hardly believe it is my regular mode of transport now J haha.